Written question asked by John Whittingdale (Conservative) on Wednesday, 23 February 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 3 March 2005. It was answered by Ivor Caplin (Labour) on Thursday, 3 March 2005 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of (a) contamination which may have occurred as a result of the work carried out for the original nuclear weapons programme at the Shoeburyness ranges and (b) residual radioactive contamination at the site.

Answer: Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of (a) contamination which may have occurred as a result of the work carried out for the original nuclear weapons programme at the Shoeburyness ranges and (b) residual radioactive contamination at the site. [218572] Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence has just started a land quality assessment (LQA) of the entire site at Shoeburyness, which will include areas formerly used for research in support of the development of nuclear weapons. The LQA process is a step-by-step investigation into historic contamination and, as they become known, the results will be made available to the public. The initial report should be available by May, although it is likely that, at that stage, the report will simply highlight areas where more intrusive investigations will be required.

Secondary information