Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Dalgety Bay: Radioactive Material

Monday 21 February 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • People of Dalgety Bay have been dealing with radioactive waste on the shore since World War II.
  • Ministry promised to keep the community and local MP updated on remediation progress.
  • Due to issues with birdlife, extended time was granted to complete remediation work.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Neale Hanvey
Environment
Context

Radioactive waste has been present on the shore of Dalgety Bay since World War II, due to the disposal of aircraft in that area. Work on remediation began last May after persistent efforts from local representatives.

Question

The people of Dalgety Bay have had to put up with radioactive waste on the shore since the second world war. Thanks to the dogged determination of my predecessor and my persistence, work on that began last May. However, the Ministry promised me and the community that it would keep us updated on progress, but we have had nothing from the MOD since May 2021. Will the Minister say why, and make sure that an update is forthcoming?

Answer from Jeremy Quin

I can give the hon. Gentleman an update now. As I think he is aware, we assumed it would take two seasons to complete remediation. However, due to issues with birdlife ensuring there is only a set period of time in which work can be done, extended time was applied for and granted last summer. We will apply again this year. It is possible that work may not be concluded until 2023 but we are keeping it under review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitments on providing regular updates to the community were not addressed.

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Q2 Neale Hanvey
Defence Environment
Context

Radioactive waste has been present on the shore of Dalgety Bay since World War II, due to the disposal of aircraft in that area. Work on remediation began last May after persistent efforts from local representatives.

Question

I give the apologies of my hon. Friend the Member for East Lothian (Kenny MacAskill), who has been turfed off a train on his way to the House. I thank the Minister for that answer. The people of Dalgety Bay in my Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency have had to put up with radioactive waste on the shore since the second world war. Thanks to the dogged determination of my predecessor, Roger Mullin, and my persistence, work on that began last May. However, the Ministry promised me and the community that it would keep us updated on progress, but we have had nothing from the MOD since May 2021. Will the Minister say why, and make sure that an update is forthcoming?

Answer from Jeremy Quin

I can give the hon. Gentleman an update now. As I think he is aware, we assumed it would take two seasons to complete remediation. However, due to issues with birdlife ensuring there is only a set period of time in which work can be done, extended time was applied for and granted last summer. We will apply again this year. It is possible that work may not be concluded until 2023 but we are keeping it under review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitments on providing regular updates to the community were not addressed.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)