§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if his Department will list the weapons material dumped in Hurd Deep in the English channel; [613]
(2) if his Department will give details of the sea dumping disposal programme conducted by his Department in the dumping site 400 miles south-west of Lands End; [614]
(3) what records relating to chemical weapons and munitions dumping operations in Hurd Deep until 1973 and off the continental shelf until January 1993 exist in his Department. [615]
§ Mr. SoamesNo chemical warfare munitions were disposed of at these sites. Details of sea disposals of CW munitions were provided in my previous answer of 20 October 1995,Official Report, col 387. In the immediate post war period approximately 25,000 tons of British and 50,000 tons of captured German conventional munitions were dumped at Hurd Deep but no record of subsequent dumping operations at this site until its use was discontinued in 1973 appear to have survived. Surviving records which have been identified to date show that between 1973 and 1985 up to 2,000 tons of conventional munitions were disposed of annually at the deep water dump site situated approximately 400 miles south west of Lands End, off the continental shelf. From 1985 until October 1992 when the sea dumping of munitions was terminated the annual disposals were as follows, 904 tons; 1,882 tons; 1,565 tons; 3,244 tons; 1,544 tons; 1,775 tons; 1,093 tons and 8,764 tons.
§ Dr. ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is his assessment of the legality of the 1976 emergency dump in Beaufort's dyke in relation to the Oslo convention for the prevention of marine pollution by dumping from ships and aircraft; [612]
(2) if he will list the weapons material dumped during the 1976 emergency dump in Beaufort's dyke in the North sea. [611]
§ Mr. SoamesThe emergency MOD disposal in 1976 involved two cases of heavily corroded 40mm shells. The emergency dumping of certain waste materials subject to the provisions of the Oslo convention is permissible if the waste in question cannot be disposed of on land without "unacceptable danger or damage". Given their recorded condition, the disposal of these munition items on land would have constituted such an "unacceptable danger".
17W
§ Dr. ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to monitor the chemical weapons and munitions dumping sites in the sea surrounding the British Isles. [610]
§ Mr. SoamesMy Department has no plans to monitor disused munition dump sites.
§ Dr. ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the date of the last sea-dumping by his Department of surplus ordnance off the British Isles. [446]
§ Mr. SoamesMy Department ceased all sea-dumping of conventional ammunition and explosive stocks in October 1992 in line with the OSPAR convention which came into force on 1 January 1993.