§ Mr. LivingstoneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what chemical agents service personnel attending the defence nuclear biological and chemical centre at Winterbourne Gunner have been exposed during training courses since 1966; and what was the purpose of such exposure. [28039]
§ Mr. SoamesService personnel attending courses at DNBCC have not been subjected to any chemical agents since 1980. Between 1966 and 1980, students at DNBCC were exposed to a small amount of mustard agent, equating to the size of a pinhead, on the inside of their wrists. The aim of these exercises was to prove and give confidence to the chemical agent decontamination process which students would be expected to teach to members of the service in their parent units. The practice stopped on scientific advice from the chemical and biological defence establishment because it was not compatible with emerging health and safety guidelines.
§ Mr. LivingstoneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel attending the defence nuclear biological and chemical centre at Winterbourne Gunner have taken part at the same time in the service volunteers programme at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment since 1966. [28040]
§ Mr. SoamesNo service personnel attending courses at the DNBCC at Winterbourne Gunner have participated in the service volunteers programme at CBDE Porton Down since 1988. Prior to that date, a small number of personnel may have volunteered to participate in routine short trials at CBDE, although this was not standard practice. However, while records are maintained of all volunteers attending Porton Down, DNBCC did not maintain a record of its students who may have attended trials at CBDE on an ad hoc basis. In the absence of such records, it is impossible to identify how many, if any, participants on the service volunteers programme were DNBCC students when they volunteered.