§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the cost to date of the inquiry by the Wiltshire Constabulary into events at CBD Porton Down; what proportion has been financed directly by his Department; what progress has been made; and if he will make a statement. [7377]
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§ Mr. DenhamThe cost of the inquiry was £1,333,930 as at the end of September 2001, excluding costs to the Ministry of Defence. The Home Office, in recognition of the unique and extraordinary nature of the inquiry, made a grant of £870,000.
A full inquiry has now been carried out into the death of an individual during an experiment in 1953, resulting in a report being forwarded to Her Majesty's coroner for Swindon and the county of Wiltshire. The coroner has since made recommendations to the Attorney-General.
Following a thorough investigation into the circumstances relating to a number of allegations made by volunteers who attended Porton Down and participated in experiments, between 1939 and 1989, a number of reports have now been forwarded to the Crown Prosecution Service. Investigations into other allegations continue and further files will be submitted in due course.