§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current establishment and current funding of the nuclear emergency unit based at his Department's main building, Whitehall; and what were the figures for the previous four years. [20722]
§ Mr. SoamesThe costs for the eight full-time staff currently in the MOD headquarters nuclear accident response organisation are expected to be £300,000 for financial year 1995–96. In the previous four years there were seven full-time staff; costs for 1991–92 are not available but in the intervening years they were as follows:
- 1992–93: £230,000
- 1993–94: £247,000
- 1994–95: £262,000
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current aims and objectives of the nuclear emergency unit. [20723]
§ Mr. SoamesThe aims and objectives of the MOD nuclear accident response organisation are to ensure that, in conjunction with the appropriate civil agencies, there would be an effective response to safeguard the general public and MOD personnel in the unlikely event of an accident or other emergency involving defence nuclear material.