§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will declassify the RN manual BR4022 and the RAF manual AP 110A-0103-IAI, both relating to accident procedures, and subsequent amendments lists; and if he will make those documents available to civilian emergency services and local authorities with emergency planning responsibility.
§ Mr. HanleyNo. The documents are already available to students on the relevant MOD training courses. Furthermore, the MOD document for local authorities and emergency services, issued in December 1992, gives appropriate guidance on contingency planning and the countermeasures that should be taken to protect the public.
§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will organise a nuclear weapon transport accident exercise in Scotland.
§ Mr. HanleyOfficers from Scottish emergency services and local authorities already participate in the exercises that are an integral part of the MOD's regular nuclear accident response training courses. The MOD also conducts a programme of other nuclear accident response exercises with relevant authorities throughout the United Kingdom. A variety of scenarios are addressed in such exercises, including nuclear weapon transport accidents. An exercise addressing nuclear weapon contingency planning at Coulport was held earlier this year; a nuclear weapon transport exercise will be held in due course in Scotland.
§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on liaison arrangements and communications equipment which would be used between the RAF incident team and local civilian services and authorities in the event of a nuclear weapons accident in(a) Scotland and (b) other parts of the United Kingdom;
(2) if he will make a statement on contingency planning for an accident involving a nuclear weapon transported by air over Scotland; and if such weapons are transported by air over Scotland.
§ Mr. HanleyContingency plans for all forms of nuclear weapon transport are described in the MOD guidance 727W document for local authorities and emergency services, issued in December 1992. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
It is the long-standing policy of successive Governments to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at any particular place or time; this applies also to the routes that are used for their transportation.
§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the maximum amount of time during which traffic on a public road might have to be stopped in a worst case scenario nuclear weapon transport accident.
§ Mr. HanleyThe duration of traffic restrictions would clearly be entirely dependent on the specific circumstances of an accident.
§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will incorporate his Department's guidance to local authorities on response to nuclear weapon transport accidents into the nuclear accident procedures course.
§ Mr. HanleyThe guidance document for local authorities and emergency services was issued in December 1992. It has already been incorporated into the nuclear accident procedures course.
§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will extend the scope and participation of the nuclear accident procedures course to provide local authority input on the same basis as the special safety study period.
§ Mr. HanleyLocal authority emergency planning officers already lecture to both courses, and equally organisers of both courses encourage constructive inputs from the officers and officials, whether from local authorities or elsewhere, who attend the courses.
§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide for participation by health boards and regional health authorities in nuclear accident procedures courses and special safety study periods in future.
§ Mr. HanleyOfficials from health boards and regional health authorities already attend both courses, and have done so for some years.