§ Mr. Frank Cookasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide details of the levels of radioactive contamination and the isotopes identified in the mud flats of the Holy loch in 1965 and in 1978.
§ Mr. AncramThe fisheries laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food undertakes independent monitoring of the Holy loch in respect of the United States naval base. The results for 1978 which include radionuclides in sediments were published in the laboratory's aquatic environment monitoring report No. 4. The concentrations of man-made radioactivity reported were very low and of no significance radiologically.
Although the Holy loch has been monitored regularly by MAFF since the United States base was established, the results for earlier years were not included in the monitoring reports because at that time details of all aspects of the operation of the base were classified. I am assured that the results for 1965 showed no grounds for concern and in terms of doses to people were well within the internationally recommended standard of radiological protection.