§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 12 March 1996,Official Report, column 512, if he will place in the Library documents which relate to the dumping of surplus munitions in St. Catherine's Deep off the Isle of Wight or other small-scale munitions dumps in the Solent. [23982]
§ Mr. SoamesNo. Complete records of munitions disposal are no longer available and St. Catherine's Deep, although shown on hydrographic charts, may have had only limited or emergency use, if at all. There is no surviving evidence of other munitions dumps in the Solent.
§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will survey the St. Catherine's munitions dump for reasons of public safety. [23983]
§ Mr. SoamesThere are no plans to survey St. Catherine's Deep. Current scientific evidence indicates that munitions dump sites present no significant risk to safety, human health or the marine environment, if left undisturbed.