§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the classification of documents relating to the dumping of Axis chemical weapons in the Baltic Sea by the Allies after World War Two. [40621]
§ Dr. MoonieIn accordance with custom and practice after World War Two, many records of sea disposals of munitions, including chemical weapons (CW), were destroyed when they were perceived to be of no further administrative use. As a result of this practice, a detailed inventory of all munitions and CW dumped at sea does not exist.
Where relevant British records on sea dumpings of munitions and CW have survived, these have been declassified and transferred to the Public Record Office in accordance with the terms of the Public Records Act, 1958 and 1967. Furthermore, as the disposals took place largely between 1945 and 1948, prior to the creation of NATO, we are not aware of any NATO papers on this issue.