§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the latest number of recorded leukaemia cases in(a) Dunoon and the Cowal area and in (b) the rest of Argyle and Bute and (c) the rest of Scotland;
(2) whether he has any plans to refer cases of cancer among the population around Holy Loch to the committee on medical aspects of radiation in the environment;
(3) whether his Department has commissioned any studies or intends to commission any studies into whether there is any link between the United States Navy's operations in Holy Loch and leukaemia clusters among children in the area.
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§ Mr. Michael ForsythUp-to-date information on the number of leukaemia cases in the detail sought is not readily available. A study, which compared leukaemia incidence in the vicinity of Holy Loch over three time periods between 1968 and 1984 with the Scottish average, showed a raised incidence in only one of the periods studied.
The committee on medical aspects of radiation in the environment, following its study at Dounreay, is currently assessing the evidence relating to leukaemia incidence around all the other Scottish nuclear sites and Scotland as a whole. It is not considered necessary, therefore, to commission any separate studies at this time.