HC Deb 27 October 1993 vol 230 cc703-4W
Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will carry out a full public consultation on the policy of transporting nuclear weapons by road; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hanley

No. A Ministry of Defence guidance document, on the actions to be taken in the event of an accident involving a nuclear weapon was however issued to all civil emergency services and local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales in December 1992 and their comments have been invited.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will fully consult chief police officers, chief fire officers and local authority emergency planning officers on the movement of nuclear weapons by road through heavily populated areas.

Mr. Hanley

The views of individual officers from the civil emergency services and local authorities are already invited during MOD training courses. Additionally an MOD guidance document, on the actions to be taken in the event of an accident involving a nuclear weapon was issued to all civil emergency services and local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales in December 1992 and their comments have been invited.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will allow local authority emergency planning officers to attend Ministry of Defence training programmes for nuclear weapons transportation accident contingency plans.

Mr. Hanley

Emergency planning officers can already attend the MOD nuclear weapon accident training course.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the level of risk of a nuclear accident arising as a result of the transportation of nuclear weapons by road.

Mr. Hanley

Our nuclear weapons are always transported in containers which are designed and tested to keep the warheads safe from the effects of severe impacts and prolonged fires, and the vehicles in which they are transported by road provide a further substantial level of protection. Because of multiple layers of protection and the intrinsic safety of the weapons themselves there is no plausible road accident involving the transport of a nuclear weapon which could result in a radiological hazard to the public.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what emergency framework is available to respond to a nuclear incident resulting from road transport of nuclear weapons.

Mr. Hanley

The planning for the response to a nuclear accident is described in the document entitled, "Local Authority and Emergency Service Information on Nuclear Weapon Transport Contingency Plans", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.