§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest situation regarding examination of 580W possible sites for the erection of an extremely low frequency system for submarine communications; what bodies have been consulted about this proposal; what medical advice has been sought; and when he expects to make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeAs my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Procurement said in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Edinburgh, East (Mr. Strang) on 19 March 1985 at column436, consideration of this proposal is at an early stage. So far the only body consulted is the CEGB, but should a suitable site be identified, and if we decide to proceed with an ELF communications system, we shall carry out the usual consultations with the local planning authority for the area in which the chosen site is located. The Ministry of Defence's medical advisers keep abreast of all scientific and medical advice in this field.
I shall inform the House in due course if we do eventually decide to build an ELF transmitter in the United Kingdom.