HC Deb 24 July 1987 vol 120 c597W
Mr. Win Griffiths

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment has been made of the risk of the radioactive materials stored at Saint Athan contaminating people and in particular those working on the base, living nearby or visiting the base on occasions such as the open day;

(2) what assessment has been made of the risk of the radioactive materials stored and used in training exercises at Saint Athan entering the environment and contaminating it via soil, water and winds;

(3) whether the local authority emergency services in South Wales were informed about the nuclear accident response team at Saint Athan and its use of nuclear materials when it was established;

(4) what radioactive contaminants are (a) used in exercises and (b) brought to Saint Athan; and what is the half-life of each radio nuclide involved;

(5) what is the precise function of the nuclear accident response unit based at Saint Athan; on what occasions the unit has been used (a) within Wales and (b) outside Wales; and whether it was involved in the accident at West Dean, Wiltshire, in January when a nuclear weapons carrier overturned;

(6) why Saint Athan was chosen as the base for a nuclear accident response team; and when the team began operating from there.

Mr. Ian Stewart

It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment specifically on the storage of defence nuclear material. Use of nuclear materials throughout the Ministry of Defence is subject to stringent procedures to ensure the safety of the personnel involved and of the general public. There is full liaison on appropriate issues with the emergency services at all RAF stations in the United Kingdom. It is not, however, our practice to comment in detail on particular units or establishments that might be involved in the response to an accident involving defence nuclear material.

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