§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the wounding of Gordon Baillie of Kintyre by a phosphorous canister on 20 October. [40792]
§ Mr. SoamesWe have been investigating the source and origin of the phosphorous devices which have been washed ashore recently. They are very old and decayed and have proved difficult to identify. Defence experts now believe that they probably formed part of the filling for second world war incendiary devices. There is no record of such devices being dumped but investigations are continuing.
Gordon Baillie received burns to his right hand and arm on 20 October after handling one of these devices which had been washed ashore near his home. A Royal Navy explosive ordnance disposal team attended the scene within 20 minutes of the incident having being reported and dealt with the remains of the device. The local authorities in the area have issued extensive material 419W warning the public of the dangers, and the Royal Navy teams and other emergency services involved in the operation to dispose of these items are making every effort to eradicate the risk of such an incident occurring again.