§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what NBC(a) detection and (b) decontamination equipment is available to (i) RAF bases, (ii) naval bases and (iii) Army bases; what plans he has to upgrade it; what arrangements he has made for that equipment to be made available to the civil authorities; how deployable it would be in the event of an NBC attack on mainland Britain; and if he will make a statement. [25151]
§ Mr. IngramSufficient detection and decontamination equipment is held by armed forces to ensure that they can maintain their effectiveness against the threat from NBC weapons on deployed operations. There are constant improvements in these capabilities.
The civil authorities have a detection and decontamination capability and are responsible for detection of NBC weapons in the UK and for 834W decontamination if there is an attack. The Ministry of Defence would be available to provide support to civil authorities depending on circumstances.