§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what safeguards are being taken to prevent toxic waste originating from Nancekuke polluting the sea and beaches of Cornwall; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will give details of the location and type of toxic waste dumps created by past production of nerve gas at Nancekuke; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what assistance is being given by his Department to appropriate authorities inquiring into the dangers of toxic wastes originating from past activities at Nancekuke;
(4) what representations have been made to his Department by the National Rivers Authority in respect of toxic wastes buried in Cornwall; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth CarlisleThe United Kingdom had abandoned its chemical and biological weapons by the late 1950s. The policy of the Government is that chemical and biological weapons will not be used or produced by this country and we have no plans to acquire any such 855W weapons. There is no evidence to suggest that there is any cause for concern at Nancekuke resulting from Ministry of Defence operations.
The Nancekuke nerve agent pilot plant operated between 1953 and 1956. The plant was decommissioned in 1956 and dismantled in 1978–79 following a decision to close the site, which had been used for a variety of tasks not related to the United Kingdom's chemical defence programme since 1956.
No chemical warfare or toxic material was ever disposed of by burial at Nancekuke. All such material was either treated chemically or incinerated, the resulting products not causing any environmental hazard. The disposal arrangements at the site were highly sophisticated and were subject to independent on-site inspection throughout the operations.
The material buried at Nancekuke is mainly the decontaminated structure and components of the dismantled pilot plant. This material was buried using approved techniques and was classed as non-leachable and therefore safe for such disposal. It is buried at five main sites which are fenced off to prevent disturbance; these sites are well known locally.
The National Rivers Authority (south west region) have been provided with comprehensive information on our management of the site to enable them to carry out their statutory responsibilities in taking ground water samples. Representatives of the National Rivers Authority visited the site on Monday 15 October and have indicated that, in accordance with their statutory responsibilities, they will place the results of their work on the public record.