§ Mr. Patrick McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the board of inquiry into the plutonium release at Aldermaston on 17 January has yet reported.
§ Mr. LeeYes. The report has been received and an unclassified version of it is being published today. I am placing a copy in the Library of the House. The report makes it clear that the release arose from a breach in a package containing plutonium, and led to some temporary contamination inside a building but no release to the external environment. Only one of the six staff who were externally contaminated inhaled more than the ICRP recommended annual limit of intake and this will lead to no more than a small fraction of the regulatory radiation dose limit. His attendance at work has not been affected. However, he will remain excluded from plutonium duties for the time being to enable further confirmatory checks to be made. He is expected to return to his normal duties in due course. The other five are now back at their normal work. The board noted that prompt action by staff in the area controlled the incident. It had a number of comments to make about the procedures being followed. Its recommendations to prevent a recurrence relate primarily to improved packaging, the revision of operating procedures, additional personnel monitors, and examination of other packages still in store. All have been accepted and the necessary measures are being taken to implement them.