Chatham Dockyard (Hansard, 5 May 1998)

§ Mr. Shaw
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the nuclear-powered submarines Which berthed at Chatham Dockyard for(a) refuelling and refitting, (b)refitting, (c) Special dockings (d) dockings and essential repair and (e) decommissioning While the refit facility was operational, giving the dates on Which each boat was berthed and the estimated and measured collective radioactive dose transferred to the civilian workforce for each boat operation listed. [38788]

Mr. Speller
The list of Submarines is given. There was no requirement to keep statistics of dosage in the form requested and the figures are estimates. They are given in man-Sieverts (the result of adding the dose of each individual as measured by personal dosimeter)
If a former radiation worker sought compensation under the Compensation Scheme and if the Ministry of Defence could find no dose records for him, it would calculate the maximum statutory level of exposure permitted for workers in his category. If this would justify a payment under the Scheme, the Ministry of Defence would then calculate the dose the claimant could be assumed to have received by reference to the dose records of other radiation workers who performed similar work in similar circumstances. This approach has been agreed with the Trade Union representatives on the Management Board for the Compensation Scheme.
285W

§ Mr. Shaw
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were employed in total at Chatham Dockyard on the nuclear refit facility while the facility was operational. [38787]

§ Mr. Spellar
At a very rough estimate, between 2,000 and 3,000 civilian radiation workers worked on submarines at Chatham between 1983 and 1996. This is calculated on the basis that at any one time the numbers of classified workers and approved scheme workers are believed to have totalled around 1,500 and that there is believed to have been an annual turnover of about 150.
To establish a reliable figure would require a search of all my Department's archived civilian personnel files, which are indexed only by name and date of birth. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.