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.

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.

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.

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.

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.