Chemical and Biological Weapons

HC Deb 10 June 1997 vol 295 cc369-71W

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what share of the costs of the CBDE Porton Down are devoted to research and programmes related to the detection of contraventions of chemical and biological weapons treaties and conventions, and the creation of verification systems; which agencies and departments have commissioned such research and programmes; and what plans he has to review this matter. [1338]

Mr. Spellar

Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) operates as a Trading Fund and all work carried out by the CBD Sector at Porton Down is commissioned and paid for by customers. Income for the 1996–97 financial year relating to the detection of contraventions of chemical and biological weapons treaties and conventions, and the creation of a verification system was:

Customer	Amount £000	Percentage of total income 1996–97
MOD	1,982	4.5
FCO	100	0.3
DTI	150	0.3
OPCW1 Inspector Training
FCO	17	0.04
Other Governments	43.5	0.1
	2,292.5	5.24
1 Organisation for the Production of Chemical Weapons.

MOD provides advice and research and development work on a range of Chemical and Biological arms control and export control matters. Other Government departments provide support to UN Special Commission, tutors for an OPCW inspectors training course and technical support to the DTI which is the UK National Authority for Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Plans for expenditure in this area are regularly reviewed by Departments during their annual costing cycles. The MOD's expenditure will also be reviewed as part of the Strategic Defence Review announced by the Secretary of State for Defence on 28 May.

Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to decontaminate each of the sites(a) in the United Kingdom and (b) abroad where the British Armed Forces have (i) tested and (ii) stored chemical weapons or chemical agents used in chemical weapons; when he expects this work to be completed; and what estimate he has made of the cost to date of those measures. [2438]

Mr. Spellar

Within the United Kingdom, former chemical warfare (CW) sites were decontaminated in accordance with the guidance prevalent at the time my Department vacated the site. Those sites which continue to form part of the Defence Estate are being assessed as part of the Department's Land Quality Assessment programme. This programme is designed to establish the condition of individual sites on the Defence Estate and, where appropriate, make recommendations for remediation. Given the extent of the Defence Estate I am not able to estimate when this work will be completed. As to the costs involved, no central records are maintained. Indeed, as remediation work on former CW sites has been spread over some 50 years it is not possible to quantify the costs involved.

Mr. Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the sites abroad where the United Kingdom has conducted trials or tests of chemical weapons or their components in the last 30 years, indicating the types and quantities of chemical agents used in each case. [2437]

Dr. John Reid

The United Kingdom relinquished its offensive chemical weapons programme in the late 1950s. Since then, no trials of chemical weapons or their components have been carried out, either in the UK or overseas.