§ Mr. W. Benyonasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether a solution has been found to the problem of detecting and clearing Argentine mines in the Falklands.
§ Mr. YoungerImmediately after the conflict our forces in the Falkland Islands set in hand an extensive programme of identifying, marking and, to the extent possible, clearing the minefields left behind by the Argentines. It has not proved possible with existing technology to detect the whole range of mines laid by the Argentines, in particular the plastic anti-personnel mines. In order to avoid further casualties among service personnel involved in mine clearance, work on clearing the mines was suspended in August 1983.
Meanwhile, my Department instituted a programme of research to find a safe and effective means of detecting and 188W clearing mines in the difficult terrain of the Falklands. I regret to say that, despite considerable progress in this challenging field of technology, there would still be a long way to go in terms of time and money before a practical solution could be placed in the Army's hands which would be sufficiently reliable and suitable for use in peacetime. Funding of the present research programme will therefore cease.
Should there be further technological developments with an application in this field, we remain ready to consider whether they could contribute to a solution to the problem. In the meantime, the current safety precautions will continue to be applied stringently and the Royal Engineers will keep the minefields securely fenced off and marked. There is no serious danger to the islanders outside these fenced-off areas and their safety will thus remain carefully protected.