§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Defence if, in respect of each of the following: Operation Grapple, carried out between May 1957 and September 1958 in the Gilbert and Ellis Islands, Operation Hurricane I, carried out on 3 October 1952 at Monte Bello Islands, Western Australia, Operations Totem 1 and 2, carried out on 14 and 26 October 1953 at Emu Field, South Australia, Operations Mosaic 1 and 2, carried out on 16 May and 19 June 1956 at Monte Bello Islands, Western Australia, Operations Buffalo 1, 2, 3 and 4, carried out in September and October 1956 at Maralinga, South Australia, and Operations Antler 1, 2 and 3, carried out in June and September 1957 at Maralinga, South Australia , he will state separately: (a) how many service men participated, (b) how many of those service men participating have had their cases examined by the National Radiological Protection Board in the study commissioned by his Department, and (c) if the National Radiological Protection Board has available to it, for the study commissioned by his Department the scientific advice given to Her Majesty's Government on the likely effects on participants in nuclear tests.
§ Mr. ButlerThe number of service men who participated in each of the tests referred to is not readily available at this time. My predecessor, my hon, Friend the Member for Chertsey and Walton (Mr. Pattie) said in the House on 12 March 1984 that about 20,000 men participated in the entire programme.
Almost all these individuals are known, and their details are being made available to the National Radiological Protection Board for it to consider for inclusion in the study. There will be no examination of individual cases.
The scientific advice given to Her Majesty's Government has no relevance to the study. However, the NRPB is, of course, well aware of the nationally and internationally agreed radiological standards which applied during the tests.