§ Miss Devlinasked the Minister of State for Defence by what date he anticipates publication of the report on the 1968 studies initiated under the auspices of his Department into toxic properties of the CS gaseous agent.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourI have nothing to add to my reply of 11th November—[Vol. 806, c.202–3.]
§ Miss Devlinasked the Minister of State for Defence to what extent the 1968 studies, or other information on the nature and effect of the CS gaseous agent, have indicated that the agent damages those exposed to its action.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourWe have no information which indicates that CS is harmful to man in other than wholly exceptional circumstances.
§ Miss Devlinasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will identify the 43 sets of disturbances during which the CS gaseous agent has been used in Northern Ireland by date and by location; and what was the number of cartridges and canisters used on each such occasion.
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§ Mr. Ian GilmourThe information is not readily available but I will write to the hon. Lady shortly.
§ Miss Devlinasked the Minister of State for Defence what kinds of records are kept by the armed forces in Northern Ireland of stocks of the CS gaseous agent.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourRecords are kept of usage, issues and receipts in accordance with normal accounting procedures.
§ Miss Devlinasked the Minister of State for Defence (1) what commercial concerns manufacture the CS gaseous agent used by his Department;
(2) how much of the CS gaseous agent has been produced by commercial firms for sale to his Department during each year since 1965.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourNone.
§ Miss Devlinasked the Minister of State for Defence on how many occasions the CS gaseous agent has been discharged in Northern Ireland on the initiative of a person below the rank of major or captain in the armed forces.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourThis information is not readily available.
§ Miss Devlinasked the Minister of State for Defence whether, in the light of delays in production of the Himsworth Report and in publishing the outcome of the 1968 investigations into the nature of the CS gaseous agent, he will now instruct the armed forces to cease its use forthwith.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourNo.
§ Miss Devlinasked the Minister of State for Defence whether median lethal dosage figures of CS gas for human beings, as established by recent tests at Porton correlate with figures found by American researchers, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Mid-Ulster.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourMy noble Friend has received no such details from the hon. Member.
§ Miss Devlinasked the Minister of State for Defence whether, in view of the fact 492W that Sir Harold Himsworth and his colleagues have had access to hitherto unpublished studies carried out by the Department into the toxic properties of the CS gaseous agent, he will authorise the Himsworth Committee to publish all this material as part of their Report.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourSir Harold Himsworth and his colleagues will be free to publish all information about CS supplied to them by the Ministry of Defence.
§ Miss Devlinasked the Minister of State for Defence whether tests undertaken at Porton during and since 1968 into the properties of the CS gaseous agent have included evaluation of the effect of the agent on civilian populations in built-up areas.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourPart I of the Himsworth Report (Cmnd. 4173) dealt with the effect of CS in a built-up area.