§ Mr. Gordon BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will authorise a case control study in Fife to examine the possible link between nuclear radiation and the incidence of leukaemia or cancer.
§ Mr. Neubert[holding answer 26 April 1990]: The Government base their policy on these matters on the independent advice of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE). In its advice to Government on the Gardner report on 2 April 1990, COMARE said it did not wish to see multiple independent studies, which would cause undue inconvenience to the small number of individuals and families concerned. COMARE also recommended some forrn of co-ordination of research to ensure the best possible use of resources. Responsibility for that co-ordination, and for instituting any study of the sort proposed, is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health, whose Department has set up a co-ordinating group on which the Ministry of Defence is represented.
§ Mr. Gordon BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average individual radiation dose, whole body equivalent, for all Rosyth dockyard workers involved or who have been involved in the nuclear programme.
§ Mr. Neubert[holding answer 26 April 1990]: The average individual lifetime radiation dose for those workers currently registered as employed at Rosyth dockyard in the defence radiological protection service's record keeping system is 79.61 mSv. Data for employees who have previously ceased radiation work are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Gordon BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he is reviewing the maximum permitted radiation dosages in milliSieverts for any one year.
§ Mr. Neubert[holding answer 26 April 1990]: My Department takes radiation exposure matters very 649W seriously indeed and continues to operate a limit of 30 mSv, which is substantially below the statutory limit of 50 mSv. Radiation exposures are authorised only on the basis that they are justified, comply with Ministry of Defence and statutory limits, and are as low as reasonably practicable. The Ministry's policy over many years has been based on the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.
§ Mr. Gordon BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total occupational whole body equivalent radiation exposure of Rosyth dockyard workers in milliSieverts, for each year since the onset of the nuclear programme.
§ Mr. Neubert[holding answer 26 April 1990]: The cumulative radiation doses of all workers in Rosyth dockyard, for each of the years 1979 to 1989 inclusive, are shown in the following table. These figures include the cumulative radiation doses of employees monitored for exposure to ionising radiations by the local issue of direct reading dosimeters while employed under a written system of work. Figures for earlier years are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Cumulative radiation dose—Rosyth dockyard Year Cumulative dose (mSv) 1989 4,202 1988 2,738 1987 2,294 1986 2,670 1985 4,197 1984 6,478 1983 7,811 1982 5,288 1981 5,818 1980 6,793 1979 8,144