§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much depleted uranium is unaccounted for or missing as a result of the malfunction of the test rig which was placed on the sea bed at the Dundrennan range in 2000. [151845]
§ Mr. SpellarThe depleted uranium samples attached to the test rig damaged by heavy seas in the Solway Firth, and which are now missing, amount to 20.76kg. This is the equivalent of four depleted uranium rounds. If not recovered in a diving exercise planned for the week beginning 5 March, this material will oxidise and disperse in exactly the same way as the existing penetrator rounds, causing a negligible increase above the level of uranium occurring naturally in sea water. Since 1982, when firing of DU rounds into the sea began, there has been no detectable increase in uranium levels in samples of sea water, sea-bed sediment and shellfish taken in the area.
§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many depleted uranium shells were fired into the Irish Sea in each of the last 10 years. [152629]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 6 March 2001]: No depleted uranium (DU) shells have been fired into the Irish sea in the last 10 years. DU projectiles are fired from Kirkcudbright into the Solway Firth and the numbers fired over the last 10 years are as follows:
Year Numbers fired 1991 666 1992 781 1993 682 1994 455 1995 280 1996 147 1997 740 1998 134 1999 111 2000 272 2001 114 Total 4,282 1 to date