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Ministry of Defence;Defence Evaluation and Research Agency

Answer

Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service volunteers were involved in the trials to determine the dispersion of chemical agents carried out in the underground sampling chambers at the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down; which chemical agents were used in trials in these underground chambers; if these underground chambers were used for any other purposes; and in what year these underground chambers were last used. [7307] Mr. Soames: This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member. Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 11 January 1996: Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking how many service volunteers were involved in the trials to determine the dispersion of chemical agents carried out in the underground sampling chambers at the former Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down, which agents were used in these trials, what other studies were conducted in the underground chambers and in what year they were last used has been passed to me to reply as the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which includes the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment (CBDE) as one of its divisions. No service volunteers have been involved in the studies conducted using the underground sampling chambers at CBDE Porton Down. These chambers, which were originally water reservoirs for the now demolished farmhouse known as Old Lodge, were last used in the early 1960s for trials with riot control agents such as CS. I hope this information is helpful.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

7307; 269 c317-8W

Session

1995-96

Subjects

Armed forces Chemical and biological warfare Defence Research Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment