§ Mr. SalterTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will establish an inquiry into the suspension of private contractors working at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, following a police investigation and drug-testing among those working on the decommissioning of nuclear warheads. [23394]
§ Dr. MoonieSafety at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), Aldermaston is paramount, and we are confident that it has not been compromised by the incident to which my hon. Friend refers. The decommissioning activities in this case related not to nuclear weapons, but to a redundant building. None the less, work was halted pending the outcome of a Ministry of Defence police investigation into allegations relating to drugs. This is now complete. No drugs were found during searches and no evidence emerged to support either further investigation or legal proceedings. AWE plc expect to resume the decommissioning shortly.