§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the safety of the decontamination and re-use of all sites used during the 1939–45 war for the storage of and exercises involving chemical weapons; when each site was last inspected; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. SoamesDuring world war two there were a large number of sites concerned with the development, production, storage and testing of chemical weapons. Sites which were subsequently disposed of were checked to ensure no residual chemical contamination was present. It has not been possible to identify when each of these sites was inspected, but there is no evidence to suggest that there have been any subsequent contamination problems. We are aware of our duty of care responsibilities and thus sites remaining in my Department's ownership are subject to review to ensure there is no risk to the public.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will de-classify and publish full details of all reports of wartime casualties of civilian and military personnel attributed to mustard gas and other chemical weapons poisoning.
§ Mr. SoamesMy Department holds no central collation of information on such incidents. Medical records relating to individuals are at present withheld from the Public Record Office as medical in confidence.