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To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the damage done to the depleted uranium monitoring rig located offshore at the testing range at Dundrennan. - Includes figures.

Asked by

Llew Smith (Labour)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

22 March 2001

Reference

154199; 365 c300W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if test firing of DU shells at the Dundrennan range is exempt from regulation under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993.

Asked by

Alasdair Morgan (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

15 March 2001

Reference

151848; 364 c675W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many DU penetrators have landed on the land area of the base since test firing of DU shells at Dundrennan range began; and, of these, how many have not been located. - Inc figures.

Asked by

Alasdair Morgan (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

27 February 2001

For answer on

13 March 2001

Answered on

13 March 2001

Mr. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many DU penetrators have landed on the land area of the base since test firing of DU shells at Dundrennan range began; and, of these, how many have not been located. [151846] Mr. Spellar: Since test firing of depleted uranium (DU) penetrator rounds first began at Kirkcudbright in 1982, there have been 14 strikes within the range area, including 10 projectiles that struck the ground itself and four that struck the target gantry. The four striking the gantry are believed to have proceeded directly out to sea. Three of those striking the ground have been recovered intact, two are believed to have proceeded out to sea and the other five remain buried in known locations. The path a penetrator would take when entering the soil at high velocity is not easy to predict so, while their entry point is known with reasonable accuracy, the ultimate position of the buried penetrators is not. Recovery attempts would involve a prohibitively large area and depth to be excavated for each round, incurring exceptional cost and with little chance of success. As I mentioned in the Adjournment debate on 7 February 2001, we are now planning to undertake a survey using a device called an Exploranium of the areas where fragmentation of projectiles may have occurred-- ie firing points, landing areas, target areas--in order to locate remaining and hitherto undetected small pieces of DU. This survey is unlikely to be able to detect the buried rounds because of their depth. The contamination caused by fragments remaining on or just below the surface is regarded by the experts as minimal. However, should any areas be found to be contaminated they will be fenced off.

Date

13 March 2001

Reference

151846; 364 c506W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if test firing of DU shells at the Dundrennan range is exempt from regulation under the Ionising Radiations Regulations. - Inc ref to 361 c419W.

Asked by

Alasdair Morgan (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

13 March 2001

Reference

151847; 364 c507W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To 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.

Asked by

Alasdair Morgan (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

12 March 2001

Reference

151845; 364 c411W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To 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. - Including table. (Holding answer 6 March 2001).

Asked by

Chris Ruane (Labour)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

1 March 2001

For answer on

12 March 2001

Answered on

12 March 2001

Mr. Ruane: To 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 {1}14 Total 4,282 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} to date

Date

12 March 2001

Reference

364 c411W; 152629

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Oral statement by the Minister for the Armed Forces on 9th January 2001 at 360 c878, concerning oversight of the firing programme of DU shells at the Dundrennan range, if he will specify the nature and extent of the...

Asked by

Alasdair Morgan (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 March 2001

Reference

151868; 364 c221-2W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the purpose of continued firing of depleted uranium ammunition at Dundrennan ranges. - Ref to 363 c87W and 361 c298W.

Asked by

Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

26 February 2001

Reference

150942; 363 c559W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if a hard target Warrior at Dundrennan ranges is a casualty of depleted uranium shells from the Gulf War.

Asked by

Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

26 February 2001

Reference

150940; 363 c557W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what premature explosions in the breech with depleted uranium ammunition have taken place at Dundrennan ranges; when they took place; and how and where the ensuing fragments were dumped.

Asked by

Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

26 February 2001

Reference

150941; 363 c559W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many depleted uranium rounds have been discharged at the Dundrennan ranges; and when the last round was discharged at a hard target. - Will write.

Asked by

Alex Salmond (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

26 February 2001

Reference

150939; 363 c557W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library copies of all minutes made of meetings held between representatives from the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency since May 1997, in respect of the environmental monitoring programme of the...

Asked by

Llew Smith (Labour)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

26 February 2001

Reference

145299; 363 c557W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when it is intended to restart test firing of depleted uranium shells at Dundrennan in Kirkcudbrightshire; how many shells will be fired; and over what period. - Including figure. (Holding answer 1 February 2001).

Asked by

Alasdair Morgan (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

13 February 2001

Reference

148152; 363 c87W

House

House of Commons

Adjournment debate on the test firing of depleted uranium shells from the Ministry of Defence base at Dundrennan

Adjournment debate on the test firing of depleted uranium shells from the Ministry of Defence base at Dundrennan.

Lead member

Alasdair Morgan

Answering member

Lord Spellar

Department

Ministry of Defence

Type

Adjournment debates

Date

7 February 2001

Reference

362 c1038-46

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out the reason for the year-by-year variation in the testing of depleted uranium shells since 1995. - Inc ref to 19 June 2000, 352 c27W.

Asked by

Llew Smith (Labour)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

22 January 2001

Reference

361 c418W;361 c419W; 145297

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many depleted uranium shells were fired at his Department's base at Dundrennan, Kirkcudbrightshire in 1999-2000; and how many have so far been fired in the current year. - Includes figures.

Asked by

Alasdair Morgan (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

18 January 2001

Reference

361 c298W; 145928

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the purpose was of the testing of depleted uranium shells at Dundrennan, Kirkcudbrightshire, in 1999-2000.

Asked by

Alasdair Morgan (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

18 January 2001

Reference

361 c298W; 145927

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

Statement on which of his Department's test locations in the United Kingdom the firing of depleted uranium projectiles has taken place; how many test firings have been made at each location; what arrangements are in place for the protection and monitoring of people and the environment; and if he will...

Asked by

Lord Cunningham of Felling (Labour)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

8 January 2001

For answer on

15 January 2001

Answered on

15 January 2001

Dr. Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which of his Department's test locations in the United Kingdom the firing of depleted uranium projectiles has taken place; how many test firings have been made at each location; what arrangements are in place for the protection and monitoring of people and the environment; and if he will make a statement. [144771] Mr. Hoon: [holding answer 11 January 2001]: The majority of test firing of depleted uranium (DU) projectiles has been undertaken at two locations in the UK. These are at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) range, Eskmeals and the Army's Kirkcudbright training range. My answer to the previous question in respect of Eskmeals refers. Operations at Kirkcudbright, which commenced in 1981, are currently undertaken by staff from DERA Eskmeals. The current programme is expected to be completed by the end of this year. In addition, some experimental firing of depleted uranium ammunition took place between 1988 and 1990 at the, now, DERA range at West Freugh. Ammunition from Phalanx was fired into Luce Bay to examine ricochet effects. Indoor firing also took place between 1982 and 1983 at the former Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) site at Foulness, which since 1999 has been part of the DERA Shoeburyness site. The building in which the firing took place was designed to prevent any escape of particulate DU into the atmosphere. It is no longer in use and was decontaminated in 1997. The number of test firings that has taken place is as follows: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Rounds Eskmeals 3,246 Kirkcudbright {1}6,907 West Freugh 315 Foulness {2}200 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} To date {2} Approximately Statutory regulations govern the use of DU on ranges in the UK. These are the Radioactive Substances Act 1993, which controls radioactive waste discharges to the environment and the Ionising Radiations Regulations (IRR) 1999, which are part of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and enforced by the Health and Safety Executive. The work undertaken by DERA fully meets the provisions of this legislation. All staff involved in the depleted uranium firing programme were (and are) fully briefed on the safety aspects of working with DU before commencing work with this material. Although there is no legal requirement to do so, DERA local policy dictates that all staff working with DU are designated Classified Workers under both the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 and preceding legislation. As such, staff are subject to a `pre- employment' medical examination and are kept under surveillance by a medical practitioner appointed by the Health and Safety Executive. Exposure of individuals to ionising radiation is monitored by the use of thermoluminescent dosemeters supplied by DERA Radiation Protection Services (DRPS). Exposure to aerosol DU oxides is monitored by the use of personal air samplers. In addition, all members of staff working with depleted uranium in any calendar month are required to provide a sample of urine for uranium analysis at an independent laboratory. This is augmented by the use of the whole body monitoring facilities. Extensive environmental monitoring of the Eskmeals and Kirkcudbright sites has been carried out and annual reports produced since the start of the firing programme, originally by the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston. In 1993 WS Atkins Limited were commissioned to produce an independent Environmental Impact Assessment for both sites. This report concluded that activities at both locations produced a negligible impact on the local environment. It also made certain recommendations which were subsequently adopted for the ongoing environmental monitoring programme, now overseen by the DERA Radiation Protection Service (DRPS). The monitoring programme includes a strict, long-term environmental sampling routine in which checks are performed on many indicators such as grasses, streams, shellfish etc. None of the samples has ever indicated any concentration above the background level except for contamination in soil around firing and target sites. Copies of the annual reports are in the Members' Library at the House of Commons and are circulated to local Councils, MPs, and Environmental Protection Agencies.

Date

15 January 2001

Reference

361 c42-3W; 144771

House

House of Commons

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