Radiation Protection Technical Advisory Committee (RAPTAC)

In response to a FOI request the MOD has released some of the minutes of the Radiation Protection Technical Advisory Committee (RAPTAC). 

This is the main Committee concerned with ionising radiation protection. The papers provide an insight in the issues of concern to MOD Officials in the late 1970s and early 1980s. 

 It is notable that the MOD have only provided 3 sets of minutes not the 10 requested.. 

 Issues of note include : 

• Nuclear test veterans 
• Retention and recruitment of Health Physicists 
•  Radiation dose limits 
• Application of the proposed Ionising Radiation Regulations to the MOD 

 Minutes 

1983 2nd meeting 
1980 1st meeting 
1979 2nd meeting 
Covering letterFOI and response 

FOI and response

Thank you for your email of 14 September 2012 requesting the following information: Could you please provide me with the following information:- 

1: Terms of reference of the Radiation Protection Advisory Committee (RAPTAC) referred to in the 12th report of the House of Commons Defence Committee Radiological Protection of Service and Civilian Personnel 
 2: date of the first meeting of RAPTAC 
 3: Agendas of the first 10 meetings 
 4: Minutes of the first 10 meetings 

We are treating your correspondence as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We have now completed an extensive search of archives for the information you requested and we have located the following documents.

RAPTAC 2nd Meeting 1979 – Minutes 
RAPTAC 1st Meeting 1980 – Minutes 
RAPTAC 2nd Meeting 1983 – Agenda
RAPTAC 2nd Meeting 1983 – Minutes 
RAPTAC 1st Meeting 1984 – Agenda 
RAPTAC 2nd Meeting 1984 - Agenda 

We have provided all the information that we could locate for you. These documents have been assessed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and personal information has been redacted under the Absolute Exemption Section 40.

MOD Radiation Protection and Radioactive Waste Committee Papers

In response to a FOI request the MOD have released  the minutes of a number of committees concerned with radiation protection and the management of radioactive waste.

Link to FOI requesting :-

"a; the minutes,
b: agendas
c: Terms of reference

for

a: the Radiation Protection Policy Committee (RPPC)
b: the Radioactive Waste Working Group (RWWG)
c: the Radioactive Waste Information Group (RAWIG),

for the period 1990 to 2000"

The MOD provided the following information

Radioactive Waste Working Group RWWG

Terms of Reference

Minutes

7  January 1999
20 May 1999
9 September 1999
13 January 2000
7 June 20000
19 September 2000

Radiation Protection Policy Committee RPPC

Terms of Reference

a:                    b:

Minutes

17 October 1996
28 January 1998
9 June 1998

Radioactive Waste Information Group RAWIG

Terms of Reference -  not provided

Minutes

13 January 1999
18 May 2000
8 November 2000

Its notable that apart from the agendas these are the only documents provided,  the MOD said that

 " Despite an extensive search of the archives we have been unable to locate a complete set of minutes, agendas and terms of reference for the committees detailed in your request. Some of the files which may have contained the minutes, agendas and terms of reference for the committees have been destroyed."   

 It seems very surprising that the minutes of MOD central committees dealing with issues as significant as radiation safety and the management of radioactive waste and radioactively contaminated land  have been lost or destroyed. 

These remaining documents  provide a snap-shot  of the radiation protection and radioactive waste issues faced by the MOD and show how the MOD was responding. The documents  also provide a good indication of the value of the papers that have been lost.

The more cynical  may be suspect, within the MOD there is a deliberate policy of destroying  files to avoid  answering difficult questions about past activities and dodging liability.  Such a policy appears to have resulted  in  a "corporate lobotomy"  so far as knowledge of  historic activities are concerned. It also results in an inability to learn from history that would help inform decisions concerning current activities and issues.

A previous post  also drew attention the loss of files and records

Failure to ensure the preservation of the minutes of the  central MOD Committee concerned with Radioactive Waste Management for the  period 1975 to 1985.