§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the role and function of the Nuclear Accident Response Organisation; what is its annual budget; how many personnel are assigned to it; in what year it was first established; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe role and function of the Nuclear Accident Response Organisation is to ensure, in conjunction with the appropriate civil agencies, an effective response to safeguard the general public and MOD personnel in the unlikely event of an emergency involving defence nuclear materials. In addition to a small full-time staff in MOD Headquarters, it would draw upon the skills of a range of teams and personnel from units and establishments across the armed forces and the MOD to respond to the particular circumstances of an incident. Contingency arrangements to deal with a range of accidents have existed for as long as the MOD has used nuclear material. The annual cost of the seven full-time MOD staff in MOD HQ is some £230,000. Details of costs and numbers for the specialist teams and personnel which might be called upon, and who are largely involved in other duties in normal circumstances, are not held centrally.