§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the substances which his Department currently disposes of by dumping at sea giving the quantities for 1991 in each case; how each substance will be disposed of as from January 1993; and if lie will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe Ministry of Defence has no future plans to dispose of redundant munitions by sea dumping. In the past, preparation for munitions for sea dumping included the removal of components containing toxic heavy metals where this was practicable. Bulk stocks of explosives, propellants, detonators and certain specialised munitions types were prohibited from disposal at sea. In 1991 the Ministry of Defence disposed of 1,093 tonnes of redundant munitions by sea dumping. This material comprised inert packaging, metal casing, conventional explosives (nitros/nitrates) and propellants (double-base/composite/cellulosic) but it would involve disproportionate cost to identify the particular substances involved. In the future, such material will be disposed of on land at suitable MOD sites which already handle ammunition disposal and under contract by industry. The Ministry of Defence plans, also, to construct a purpose built ammunition disposal facility.