§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what monitoring is carried out to determine whether(a) fish stocks and (b) sea mammals in the North sea are contaminated by poison gas dumped after the first and second world wars, and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Curry[holding answer 17 October 1990]: The Ministry and the Scottish Office undertake a national programme of monitoring fish and shellfish round our coasts for contaminants which could present a hazard to public health. The sea mammals research unit of the Natural Environment Research Council, on contract to the Department of the Environment, and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland are undertaking contaminant analysis of small cetaceans stranded around the United Kingdom coastline.
This work, however, is not directed specifically towards identifying contaminants arising from the dumping of poison gas at sea. Scientific advice is that these materials pose no risk of contamination of fish and sea mammal population.