HC Deb 12 March 1998 vol 308 cc324-5W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what stockpile his Department holds of CR; and for what purpose the material is held; [31274]

(2) what assessment he has made of the United Kingdom's obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention in his policy on the use of CR; [31269]

(3) where his Department's stockpile of CR is held; and what is the estimated annual cost of storage. [31270]

Dr. Reid

CR gas is a riot control agent designed to cause temporary irritation. The Ministry of Defence currently holds stocks of approximately 260kg for use if necessary by those units responsible for maintaining an effective counter terrorist response capability. This policy is consistent with the Chemical Weapons Convention, which permits the use of certain toxic chemicals for law enforcement purposes. Stocks of CR are held at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency's Chemical and Biological Defence sector at Porton Down and at the relevant unit level. Figures for the annual cost of storing CR cannot separately be identified.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what stocks of riot control agents are held by his Department; what quantities of each agent are held by his Department; what is the intended purpose of each agent; and where the stocks are held. [33888]

Dr. Reid

CS irritant is the only riot control agent held by my Department. Its purpose is for Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defence training and as a contingency in case the armed forces should ever be asked to support the civil power in riot control. The quantity of CS held is currently under review, although at present it stands at:

  • 1.5 inch Cartridges: 7,209 (+ 14,541 obsolete variants awaiting disposal).
  • Hand Thrown Grenades: 12,799 (+ 640 obsolete variants or shelf life expired grenades awaiting disposal).
  • Discharged Grenades: 19,152 (+ 250 shelf life expired grenades awaiting disposal).
  • A further quantity of 2,500 kilogrammes of CS.

The locations of the agent are being withheld under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.