Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to her Department's archived document entitled British Isles Explosive Dumping Grounds, what records her Department holds on chemical weapons dumped on the following dates and at the following areas and positions (a) 02.07.45, Lat 58 00.9 N, Lon 11 00.0 W, Empire Fal, 2000M, (b) 11.09.45, Lat 55 30.00 N, Lon 11 00.00 W, Empire Simba, 2500M, (c) 01.10.45, Lat 55 30.00 N, Lon 11 00.00 W, Empire Cormorant, 2500M, (d) 30.10.45, Lat 55 30.00 N, Lon 11 00.00 W, Wairuna, 2500M, (e) 30.12.45, Lat 55 30.00 N, Lon 11 00.00 W, Botlea, 2500M, (f) 25.08.46, Lat 47 57.00 N, Lon 08 33.24 W, Empire Peacock, 700-800M, (g) 03.09.46, Lat 48 03.00 N, Lon 08 09.00 W, Empire Nutfield, 500M, (h) 01.10.46, Lat 47 54.00 N, Lon 08 21.00 W, Kindersley, 1000M, (i) 02.11.46, Lat 59 00.00 N, Lon 07 40.00 W, Empire Woodlark, 800M, (j) 11.11.46, Lat 48 00.00 N, Lon 08 21.00 W, Lanark, 800-900M, (k) 05.02.47, Lat 47 40.00 N, Dora Oldendorf, 3500-4000M, (l) 27.07.47, Lat 47 55.00 N, Lon 08 17.00 W, Empire Lark, 750-800M, (m) 09.08.47, Lat 56 22.00 N, Lon 09 27.00 W, Leighton, 1300M, (n) 08.09.47, Lat 47 47.30 N, Lon 08 21.00 W, Thorpe Bay, 1500M, (o) 03.11.47, Lat 47 36.00 N, Lon 09 31.00 W, Margo, 4100M, (p) 01.03.48, Lat 47 55.00 N, Lon 08 58.00 W, Harm Freitzen, 2500M, (q) 22.08.48, Lat 47 16.30 N, Lon 09 24.00 W, Empire Success, 4200M, (r) 22.09.48, Lat 47 23.00 N, Lon 09 24.00 W, Miervaldis, 4000M, (s) 20.06.49, Lat 47 52.00 N, Lon 08 51.00 W, Empire Connyngham, 2000M, (t) 27.07.55, Lat 56 30.00 N, Lon 12 00.00 W, Empire Claire, 2500M, (u) 30.05.56, Lat 56 30.00 N, Lon 12 00.00 W, Vogtland, 2500M, (v) 23.07.56, Lat 56 31.00 N, Lon 12 05.00 W, Krotka, 2500M, (w) ??.06.56, Lat 56 00 N, Lon 10 00 W, UNKNOWN, 2000M and (x) ??.06-09.56, Lat 56 00 N, UNKNOWN, 2000M.

The last at-sea disposal of explosives on the UK continental shelf took place in 1976. The last disposals of chemical weapons off the continental shelf took place in 1957 while disposals of munitions off the continental shelf ended in 1992. Information relating to events prior to 1989 has been destroyed or transferred to the National Archives in accordance with the Public Records Act. No information relating to later events is known to be held in Ministry of Defence archives. No central record exists of such information and to search for any previously unidentified information would incur a disproportionate cost.