§ Lord Reaasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will, if necessary in conjunction with the World Health Organisation and the International Atomic Energy Authority, commission a full radiometric survey of the area of South Iraq which they control, including but not restricted to battle zones of the first Gulf War. [HL5138]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)There are no plans to commission a full radiometric survey of the area of South Iraq, in conjunction with the World Health Organisation (WHO) or the International Atomic Energy Agency.
As part of the Coalition Provisional Authority governing Iraq, the United Kingdom is committed to discharging its health and safety and environmental protection responsibilities and to working with our coalition partners and others with similar aims. To this end, the Department for International Development (DfID) has, in principle, agreed to part-fund the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment of post-conflict environmental issues in Iraq. We have not yet been advised of the nature of any radiometric survey that UNEP might wish to carry out, but we understand that radiometric surveys within the UK area of operations are not identified as a priority within UNEP's "Desk Study on Iraq" www.postconflict.unep.ch/publications/iraq_ds.pdf
In the mean time, we continue to liaise with UNEP and to share information as a contribution to UNEP efforts to ensure that the Iraqi people and others are protected against ionising radiation and other hazards from whatever source.