§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will request a report from the Commissioner for Police for the Metropolis on the incident in which a CS gas canister was discharged at Heathrow Airport on 18 October 1999. [105594]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Commissioner for Police for the Metropolis informs me that at 3.50 pm on 18 October, complaints were received from passengers in Terminal 1 Departures about irritation to their eyes, nose and throat. Emergency services attended and found a CS spray canister in a rubbish bin. It appears that fumes from the canister entered the air conditioning system. Nineteen people were affected by the fumes, 14 of whom were taken to Hillingdon Hospital for treatment but discharged within two hours.
The Commissioner tells me that the canister was manufactured in the United States of America, of a type commonly used there for personal safety, and that it was probably discarded by a passenger prior to being scanned before departure. The canister was taken by the police, for disposal.