Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any radiation breaches below the serious radiation breach threshold have taken place at (a) HM Naval Base Clyde and (b) RNAD Coulport.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There have been historical events with minor radiological consequences at both His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde and the Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) Coulport. These events have not resulted in significant radiation exposure or impact on the environment. All events are thoroughly investigated and, if required, notified to external regulators.
Further details regarding incidents at HMNB Clyde and RNAD Coulport can be found in the answer given to Question 180428.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what operational definition his Department uses to determine what constitutes a (a) serious and (b) non-serious radiation breach.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the assessment and categorisation of radiological safety events. The categorisation of events at HM Naval Base Clyde is aligned to the guidance issued by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. The radiological consequences of an event would be considered serious if it resulted in an unplanned radiation exposure exceeding a statutory dose limit or a release of radioactive material which exceeds the notification value in the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when staff at building 201 at Royal Navy Armament Depot Coulport were first informed that they were being relocated to building 41; how many days notice those staff were given of that re-location; and what the date was of the official communication sent to staff.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Staff in building 201 were actively involved in preparing the building for handover to Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) over a number of months. Building management kept staff informed of the works programme throughout, including the date that the building was being handed over to the DIO contractor. These updates included a weekly building visit to the staff by the Resident Director.
There is no policy requirement for official communication to relocate staff from one building to another, however, it is conducted as best practice.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) received advice on the potential risks to health from radioactive particles found at Dalgety Bay.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) have internal advisors from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory who provide advice and support.
The risk to health is assessed and enforced by the regulator, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
Contamination levels and acceptable targets for corrective action were determined by SEPA using criteria established by Public Health England. The agreed corrective action to remove contamination was set out in the management strategy paper developed by SEPA, Fife Council and the MOD.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when officials from his Department (a) attended and (b) carried out inspections relating to remediation works at Dalgety Bay in each of the last ten years.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Ministry of Defence (MOD) officials attend the site at Dalgety Bay on a regular basis. The individual visits are not recorded centrally.
Other than during the period of Covid-19 restrictions, in each of the last ten years, Monitoring Survey Inspections of the site have been carried out on a monthy basis on behalf of the MOD, by the specialist consultant company, WSP.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the pollutant linkage identified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in the foreshore areas of Dalgety Bay has been cleared since May 2021.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Until such time as the works are completed, it is not possible to calculate the proportion of pollutant linkage identified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in the foreshore areas of Dalgety Bay that has been cleared since May 2021.
However, to date, 85% of the work has been completed with 3,200 particles of contamination being removed from 7,000 cubic meters of foreshore.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of the remediation works at Dalgety Bay.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The current Approved Budget Level for the project is circa £15 million.
The actual cost will remain undetermined until the work is completed and any risks addressed.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish details of the process for the off-site disposal of radioactive material upon detection and removal from the beach and foreshore as part of the current and planned the remediation works at Dalgety Bay.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The off-site disposal of radioactive material upon detection and removal from the beach and foreshore is managed through a licenced facility that has been procured by the MOD’s Prime Contractor, Balfour Beatty.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the allocated budget for the remediation works at Dalgety Bay has increased from the £10.5 million budget announced by his Department on 19 May 2021 to a cost of around £15 million as referenced by the Minister for Defence Procurement on 18 April 2023, Official Report, vol 731, col 61WH.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The budget of £10.5M million announced by the Ministry of Defence on 19 May 2021, was the initial value of the contract.
The increase in budget to circa £15 million will include planning costs, fees and other relevant disbursements.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to put in place a monitoring framework following the completion of the remediation works at Dalgety Bay.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Ministry of Defence Officials will continue monitoring the beach at Dalgety Bay for two years after completion of the remediation works. This has been agreed with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in order to prove the success of the works. SEPA will take on monitoring after the ‘proving’ period is successfully completed.