§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities exist to protect Royal Naval(a) personnel, (b) ships, by class, and (c) shore bases from contamination by chemical, biological or radioactive attack. [89875]
§ Mr. IngramRoyal Navy personnel have individual decontamination and protective equipment, which includes respirators, protective suit, boots and gloves and a range of medical countermeasures common across all three Services.
Royal Navy warships are equipped with both fixed and portable nuclear and chemical detection equipment. All Royal Navy ships, with the exception of the survey vessels, have a citadel as an integral part of their design. This area provides a positively pressurised, toxic-free environment supplied with filtered air. In the ships with no citadel, a range of 'sanctuary procedures' is followed to avoid ingestion of contaminated materials.
Ships can also be protected by spraying sea water over the upper deck to remove contamination and to minimise the subsequent decontamination effort. Likewise, ships carry equipment to decontaminate any aircraft and vehicles aboard.
There is a requirement for all RN personnel, ashore in the United Kingdom, to train annually to the NATO required standard for Nuclear Biological Chemical (NBC) protection and for contingency forces to be trained and equipped to operate in an NBC environment. There is no specific NBC protective equipment for shore bases, but the use could be made of ships alongside at the time of an attack and ad hoc decontamination facilities would be created.
§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what modifications there have been since 11 September 2001 in training of(a) Royal Naval and (b) Royal Marines personnel to deal with chemical, biological or radiological attack. [89876]
§ Mr. IngramThe level of training given to Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel to deal with chemical, biological and nuclear attack post 11 September has been fully reviewed. As a result, one modification has been made to the training undertaken by personnel who are serving in warship and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries. This is the re-introduction of practical nuclear biological and chemical (NBC) defence training as part of the core operational sea training syllabus. All naval personnel currently undertake a half day NBC defence training module prior to serving at sea at the facility located552W within the Maritime Warfare School at Whale Island, in Portsmouth. An increased awareness of the NBC threat has been incorporated into all appropriate courses.