HC Deb 07 November 1988 vol 140 cc30-3W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in theOfficial Report showing the number of firearms by type, including handguns, rifles, shotguns or fully automatic weapons, which were seized by the security forces in Northern Ireland in 1987 and 1988; and for each type, how many were legally held weapons stolen by terrorist organisations from (i) civilians, (ii) Royal Ulster Constabulary sources, (iii) Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve sources, (iv) Ulster Special Constabulary sources, (v) Ulster Defence Regiment sources and (vi) regular Army sources.

Mr. Ian Stewart

[holding answer 1 November 1988]: Information is not readily available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, information about weapons which have been recovered or stolen is given in the following table:

of which will be to increase the level of confidence in its findings. At no stage has the MOD withheld from the NRPB access to relevant records.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice is available to him as to why service men of higher than average levels of good health have not exhibited lower than average levels of cancers, especially multi myeloma and leukaemia, in the studies arising out of nuclear tests in the 1950s.

Mr. Sainsbury

I am advised that while the observation of somewhat lower than normal national average mortality in service personnel in both the participant and control groups of the NRPB study may be due in part to the selection of healthy recruits, and in part due to other factors on which the selection process was based do not necessarily lead to lower than average levels of cancer mortality or morbidity.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he can give a breakdown of medical conditions involved in disability claims for British nuclear test veterans and give information pertaining to service rank and military units in which they served during the 1950s.

Mr. Sainsbury

The information requested by the hon. Member is not available as the collation of information on medical conditions of service claimants to the Naval, Military and Air Forces etc. (Disability and Death) Legislation Act Service Pensions Order 1983 Number 883, operated by the Department of Social Security does not specifically allow test participants to be distinguished from other claimants.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many British military personnel were involved in American nuclear tests in the 1950s;

(2) what information he has as to whether any British civilians were involved in American nuclear trials in the 1950s.

Mr. Sainsbury

No identifiable groups of British military personnel were involved in the American atmospheric testing during this period. However, the increased United States/United Kingdom co-operation which took place following the 1958 agreement led to some exchanges of personnel, in particular involving a few civilian scientists, and may have included very small numbers of senior military personnel.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many British military personnel were involved in American nuclear tests in the 1960s;

(2) what is the total number of American nuclear tests in which British military personnel were involved, where these tests took place and which British military units took part.

Mr. Sainsbury

The numbers of United Kingdom personnel from 1962 onwards were stated in the reply that I gave to the hon. Member on 31 October, column527. The enhanced co-operation which dated from the 1958 agreement led to the United States using Christmas Island as a base for the series of United States tests known as Operation Dominic. The tests, starting April 1962 and continuing until November 1962, in its vicinity were all air drops of mainly low or intermediate yield, a few being in the low megaton range. Twenty four tests were conducted in this series, referred to in United Kingdom terms as Operation Brigadoon. The infrastructure built for the United Kingdom tests in the Grapple series (Grapple X, Y and Z) in the period 1957–58 was expanded to accommodate United States test personnel.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he plans to investigate mortality and morbidity in British military personnel involved in American nuclear tests; and whether the NRPB included these servicemen in their report on the effects of nuclear tests in the 1950s.

Mr. Sainsbury

The United Kingdom personnel present for Operation Brigadoon were included in the NRPB study. I have no plans to conduct a study specifically on these individuals. As I stated in my answer on 31 October, column525, consideration is being given to improving coverage of this group, as part of the participant group as a whole, in the planned follow-up study.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the testing of water supplies was undertaken on Christmas Island during British nuclear tests there in the 1950s; and what was the frequency of water sampling.

Mr. Sainsbury

The main source of supply was surface water accumulated over a very long period below the atoll. It was tested extensively and found to be sufficiently pure for drinking purposes. When demand was high, recourse was made to supplementary supplies of slightly brackish water which was treated by distillation. The environmental monitoring programme included routine checks on all rainfall for radioactivity to ensure that its addition to the source supply did not degrade it below drinking standards. The standard methods of checking water for radioactivity were to measure the activity of solids obtained by evaporation or precipitation.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the NRPB, as part of its inquiry into cancer incidence in British military personnel serving in British nuclear tests in the Pacific during the 1950s, received and considered evidence from the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association pertaining to cancer incidence amongst its members; and if the NRPB will consider such information for future reports.

Mr. Sainsbury

In order to ensure that no bias was introduced between test participants and the control group, the NRPB study relied on information on mortality and the incidence of cancer from the National Health Service central register (NHSCR). The NRPB has received and is content to continue to receive information from the BNTVA and other associations on individuals who took part in the nuclear weapons test programme. If test participants not included in the study are identified by this route, reference is made to the NHSCR in order to obtain similarly unbiased mortality and cancer incidence data for them.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the present status of the First Independent Field Squadron; and what was its major function during British nuclear tests in the 1950s;

(2) what information he has as to how many members of the First Independent Field Squadron, serving during British nuclear tests in the 1950s, are still living today;

(3) why members of the First Independent Field Squadron, previously serving on Christmas Island during British nuclear tests, were later involved in a series of experiments conducted at Porton Down; and what was the nature of these experiments.

Mr. Sainsbury

I have been informed that the First Independent Field Squadron was formed in Malaya in 1948. In 1950 the unit was posted back to the United Kingdom where, in November that year, it became known as the First Field Squadron. In January 1952 the unit was posted to BAOR Germany where it has remained to this day. There is no record of this unit ever being involved in the United Kingdom nuclear weapon tests or work at Porton Down.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action was taken to test seaborne radiation levels around Christmas Island during British nuclear tests there.

Mr. Sainsbury

Sea water and fish were monitored throughout the test programmes at many locations. The levels of activity found for fish and for the majority of sea water samples were zero. For the few exceptions where a small increase in natural background radiation was found, it was at such a level that the possibility of harm to any personnel or to the indigenous population could be dismissed. At no time did the levels monitored in sea water exceed 1/20th of the permitted limits for drinking water.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has about the United States legislation providing for monthly payments in respect of different cancers contracted within 40 years of service during American nuclear tests; what assessment he has made of the extent of the similarity or otherwise between the degree of liability acknowledged by the United States Government in relation to those nuclear tests on the one hand, and that accepted by Her Majesty's Government, on the other; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Sainsbury

In the light of the evidence of the effectiveness of the radiological protection arrangements adopted throughout the United Kingdom nuclear weapons test programme (which were recently fully vindicated by the findings of the NRPB report), I announced on 21 July at column736, that the Government cannot agree to the payment of any special compensation. I cannot comment on the United States Act which embodies a presumption of service connection for certain radiation exposed veterans; this is a matter for the United States Government.