§ Mr. Simon ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what monitoring his Department undertakes of the levels of depleted uranium in the Irish Sea; [144992]
(2) what risk assessment he has made of the impact on public health of the firing of depleted uranium munitions into the Irish Sea. [144991]
§ Mr. MeacherDepleted uranium (DU) munitions are test fired from the MOD range at Kirkcudbright into the Solway Firth. The Defence Evaluation and Research 193W Agency (DERA) undertakes marine environmental sampling in the Solway Firth. The results of this monitoring are made available to the public via the local authority. Between 1981 and 1995, DU munitions were test fired at the Eskmeals range in Cumbria. These firings were conducted solely on land and no munitions were fired into the Irish Sea. There is an ongoing environmental monitoring programme in the Eskmeals area also.
In December 1993, the MOD commissioned an independent assessment of the impact of firing DU munitions at MOD ranges. The "Environmental Assessment of the Firing of Depleted Uranium Projectiles at Eskmeals and Kirkcudbright Ranges", produced by environmental consultants WS Atkins, was published in July 1995. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House. The report concluded that there was no significant risk to members of the public or the environment from the DU firing programme.