Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current condition of the munitions that were dumped into Beaufort’s Dyke in the Irish Sea by the Ministry of Defence following the end of the Second World War.

I refer the noble Lady to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin), in the House of Commons on 2 July 2020 to the hon. Member for Ayr, Carrock and Cumnock (Allan Dorans) in response to Question number 65104.

The last known at-sea disposal at Beaufort's Dyke was the emergency dumping of two cases of corroded 40mm ammunition in 1976.

Historical information on the sea disposals at Beaufort's Dyke and other locations is available through The National Archives at:

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121203135425/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/HealthandSafetyPublications/DSEA/DisposalOfMunitionsAtSea.htm

The Ministry of Defence holds no additional information relating to the munitions dumped in Beaufort's Dyke.