§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department has made any assessment of the extent to which radioactive products from nuclear fallout may convert water molecules into molecular water carrying tritium isotopes of hydrogen and of the degree to which this may affect the safe consumption of drinking water.
§ Mr. Mayhew:I am advised that the radioctive products from nuclear fallout do not emit radiation of the type or energy required to convert hydrogen in water molecules into tritium. Accordingly, fallout radiation will not affect water by producing tritium.
Juveniles
§ Miss Boothroydasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list in the Official Report the number of cases in the last 12 months which have occurred in the West Midlands when juveniles who have been charged jointly with an adult have (a) appeared separately in a juvenile court and (b) appeared jointly in an adult court; and if he will provide comparable information for the United Kingdom as a whole;
(2) how many court cases there have been (a) in the West Midlands and (b) in the United Kingdom where (i) juveniles who have been jointly charged with adults have appeared jointly in an adult court and (ii) juveniles who have been jointly charged with adults have appeared separately in a juvenile court.
§ Mr. Mayhew:The information available relates to the number of juveniles charged with indictable offences who appeared in magistrates' courts which are not juvenile panels. In 1980 there was a total of 7,722 such juveniles in England and Wales, of whom 502 were dealt with in the 29W West Midlands police force area. The other information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.