THE Ministry of Defence (MoD) has blocked a Scottish watchdog from releasing information about radioactive pollution from nuclear bomb bases in the Clyde since 2016.
Emails released to The Ferret revealed after a Freedom of Information (FoI) request that the MoD asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) not to publish information about “environmental issues with radioactivity” in order to protect “national security”.
It comes after the investigative news outlet attempted, in vain, to get Sepa to release more than 20 files about radioactive problems at the bases at Faslane and Coulport near Helensburgh since 2016.
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While Sepa eventually released several files covering 2016 to 2019, it still withheld 18 – with this ultimate refusal currently under investigation by the Scottish Information Commissioner after appeals by The Ferret.
According to the MoD, the information should be withheld under section 10(5)(a) of the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations) 2004 – which argues that information can be withheld if “its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially, international relations, defence, national security or public safety.”
The secrecy over the bases has been condemned by the Scottish Greens and a former Sepa chief executive.
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Campbell Gemmell, who was Sepa’s CEO between 2003 and 2012, told The Ferret the MoD were “very challenging to deal with” and said the secret was “unnacceptable”.
He added: “The UK ministry applied pressure repeatedly on radioactive waste issues seeking to keep relevant environmental information out of the public domain. Putting similar effort into remedy would be better.
“These continued, longstanding failures should be exposed and MoD should be held accountable. If Sepa wants to be a respected and responsible regulator, accountable in Scotland, I’d urge it to treat the MoD as any other potential or actual polluter.”
The Scottish Greens criticised the MoD’s approach as “very concerning and obstructive”. It was “clearly in the public interest” to know about pollution of the Clyde, said the party’s co-leader and former minister, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said it was “clearly in the public interest”.
“All too often, national security is used as a go-to excuse for covering up things that could be difficult or embarrassing for people in power, and this looks a lot like it is one of those cases,” he added.
“Nuclear weapons are a moral and costly abomination that have no place in modern Scotland.”
Sepa said it takes its obligations under freedom of information law seriously.
“Where Sepa holds information provided by a third party, we may consult with the third party for their views to help inform our release decision, which is for Sepa alone to make,” a spokesperson told The Ferret.
“The Scottish Information Commissioner will investigate Sepa’s handling of the relevant requests through his appeal process. It would not be appropriate for Sepa to make further comment at this time.”
An MoD spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities for the safety and security of radioactive materials very seriously and have robust arrangements for compliance with environmental legislation under clear agreements with Sepa.
“The events at HMNB Clyde and Coulport previously reported by Sepa had no impact on the environment and demonstrate we have a strong and transparent safety culture that learns from experience and takes action to prevent recurrence.”
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