§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what levels and types of radiation are classified by his Department as safe; and what are the criteria upon which those levels are based.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe criteria are set out in detail in "Principles for the Protection of the Human Environment" Her Majesty's Stationery Office December 1984. Section 3.8 states that
the authorising Departments will be guided by the following objective: The risk to any member of the public in any one year from exposure to radiation from all sources other than background and medical exposure, should not be greater than that associated with a dose of 1mSv".
§ Mr. Frank Cookasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, following the Chernobyl incident, he intends issuing instructions for monitoring of radiation levels to take place at locations other than those routinely in use.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe present network of observation stations is very sensitive and capable of detecting small changes in the ambient level of radiation. Increasing the number of stations would add little to the amount of information gathered because radioactive particles and gases, brought to the United Kingdom by weather systems would almost certainly be dispersed over a wide area.
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§ Mr. Frank Cookasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those locations in the United Kingdom where ambient levels of radiation are routinely monitored.
§ Mrs. RumboldStations for the monitoring of airborne dust and rainwater are maintained by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Research Establishment and the National Radiation Protection Board at Lerwick (Shetland) Glasgow, Eskdalemuir (Dumfries), Milford Haven (Dyfed), Chilton (Oxon) and in London. There are three additional stations for the measurement of radioactivity in rainwater. Instruments to monitor radiation levels are also installed at the neclear power stations of the Central Electricity Generating Board.
§ Mr. Frank Cookasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will compare normal background radiation levels with those levels of radiation recorded on Wednesday 30 April at Dounreay, Darlington, Didcot and Dulwich;
(2) if he will compare the normal levels of background radiation with those levels of radiation recorded on Thursday 1 May at Dounreay, Darlington, Didcot and Dulwich.
§ Mrs. RumboldI can confirm that the levels of radiation recorded on Wednesday 30 April and Thursday 1 May 1986 at all the monitoring stations maintained in the United Kingdom by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and the National Radiological Protection Board were no different from the normal background radiation levels. There is no reason to believe that readings taken at the places mentioned by the hon. Member would differ significantly from measurements taken at the monitoring stations.