§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) pursuant to his answer of 16 February, regarding cancer incidence, if he will give for the 0–24 year age group (a) the number of deaths from cancer and (b) the registration of cancer of (i) chronic myeloid leukaemia, (ii) acute myeloid leukaemia, (iii) chronic and acute myeloid leukaemia, (iv) acute lymphatic leukaemia and (v) (i) to (iv) inclusive giving in each case the number of deaths from cancers which have occurred and which were expected and the ratio between occurrence and expected rate for each of the 14 nuclear installations from the dates given in his answer, save for Winfrith, which should be given from January 1968, Bradwell from July 1962, Berkeley from June 1962 and Oldbury from December 1967, Hinckley A from March 1965, Hinckley B from September 1976, Trawsfynydd from March 1965, Dungeness A from October 1965. Sizewell A from March 1966 and Wylfa from November 1967 giving, for each 126W station, the data for each of the four distance zones separately and for the four distance zones aggregated indicating the distance of each zone, and aggregated zone, from the installation;
(2) if he will give the number and expected rate of leukaemia deaths in the 0 to 24 years age group in the area of (a) Trawsfynydd, (b) Sizewell and (c) Dungeness nuclear plants 1963 to 1980 inclusive;
(3) pursuant to his answer of 16 February, Official Report, column 506, regarding cancer incidence, if he will give (a) the number of deaths and (b) the registration of cancers for (i) all leukaemias, (ii) all lymphatic leukaemias and (iii) all lymphatic malignancies for the three age groups, 14 nuclear installations, giving the rates for the four distance zones separately and amalgamated from 1959, or the date the plant started to operate, whichever is the later to 1980 showing in each case the expected rate.
§ Mr. NewtonThe exact information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I refer the hon. Member to table 3 of the report "Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the vicinity of Nuclear Installations, England and Wales, 1959–80", proof copies of which are in the Library.
The more detailed information requested will be obtainable from the microfiche which will become available on or after the publication of the report.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer of 16 February regarding cancer incidence, if he will list the 25 groups and 16 sites of malignancy cited.
§ Mr. NewtonI refer the hon. Member to section 4.6 of chapter 4 (page 73) and to the table on page 84 of the report "Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the vicinity of Nuclear Installations, England and Wales, 1959–80", proof copies of which have been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his answer of 16 February regarding incidence, if the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys' report has studied the cancer incidence and deaths occurring within 12½ kilometres of each nuclear installation.
§ Mr. NewtonYes. The report "Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the vicinity of Nuclear Installations, England and Wales, 1959–80" has studied cancer incidence and deaths occurring among those living in pre-1974 local authority areas (LAAs) where at least two thirds of the population live within eight miles (12.87 kilometres) of 15 nuclear installations. The report also includes data for LAAs where at least one third of the population live within 10 miles (16.09 kilometres) of the installations.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report the full cost of the statistical study on cancer incidence and mortality in the vicinity of nuclear installations in England and Wales from 1959 to 1980, carried out by the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys.
§ Mr. NewtonThe cost of the statistical study on cancer incidence and mortality in the vicinity of nuclear installations in England and Wales from 1959 to 1980 carried out by the Medical Research Council, the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, and the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys is about £300,000 excluding overheads (such as accommodation).
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§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report details of areas of the highest incidence of those forms of cancer which have been correlated with atomic radiation; and whether any of these areas are in the vicinity of nuclear power stations.
§ Mr. NewtonI refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Wycombe (Mr. Whitney) on 15 April 1986 at columns371–72. This presented limited data on the distribution of myeloid leukaemia in the United Kingdom in 1984.
There are a number of detailed studies currently in progress into the incidence of cancer in the United Kingdom. As my predecessor stated on 12 December 1985 at column 767 the results of these will be considered by the committee on the medical aspects of radiation in the environment as they become available. Photocopies of the first rough proof from the printer of the OPCS report "Cancer Incidence and Mortality in the vicinity of Nuclear Installations, England and Wales 1959–1980" were placed in the Library on 18 February 1987.