§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what research he has evaluated into the incidence of cancer in nuclear dockyard workers; [29453]
(2) how many (a) past and (b) present Rosyth Dockyard employees have had a full medical check under the Government's health check scheme; [29439]
(3) what action he has taken to investigate the health of workers involved in nuclear work at Rosyth dockyards. [29452]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 16 February 1998]: My Department takes careful account of national and international epidemiological studies concerning radiation workers and of the professional advice of the National Radiological Protection Board. The Ministry of Defence is a major contributor to the National Registry of Radiation Workers, which provides source data for national epidemiological studies.
The numbers of past and present Rosyth Dockyard employees who have received full medical checks cannot be determined without disproportionate cost. Before 1986, all Classified Radiation Workers at Naval Dockyards were given medical examinations before taking up employment and at least every 14 months thereafter, as the law then required. Since the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1985 came into force, annual health reviews by Appointed 831W Doctors have been mandatory for all Classified Radiation Workers; these annual reviews include medical examinations if the Appointed Doctors consider them necessary. Some former and present Rosyth Dockyard radiation workers have sought and received medical counselling, under the scheme available to all Dockyard radiation workers (both classified and unclassified) since 1990 or under the extended scheme which I announced in June 1997.