§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost of Operation Abbott. [95804]
§ Mr. SpellarThe cost to date of the operation to clear buried wartime ordnance at Winterbourne Gunner carried out between November 1998 and July 1999, Operation ABBOTT, is some £500,000. This amount relates to the clearance operation, compensation paid to freehold and tenant farmers for loss of harvest and payments made to DERA Porton Down. Negotiations continue with DERA Porton Down over the cost of disposal of the remaining items. The final cost of the operation will not be known until the disposal programme, scheduled to finish in the financial year 2002–03, has been completed.