§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total staff and administration cost to his Department of the Chernobyl accident.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonPrecise figures are not available, but on a broad assessment of the Department's programmes for food safety and for the radiological protection of our food supply I estimate that staff costs resulting from the Chernobyl accident are of the order of £1.9 million. In addition, my Department has spent some £0.4 million on the purchase of samples and of materials and equipment for analytical purposes and for monitoring.