Scottish Politicians Press for Uranium Ban

MSPs from the Green, Scottish Nationalist, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties are calling on Scottish ministers to support the European Parliament's call for a global ban on uranium weapons.

Scotland is home to the only range in the UK where uranium weapons are tested. Over 6000 shells have been fired into the Solway Firth at Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway, where radioactivity levels in the soil have breached agreed safety limits, and uranium contamination has been found in plants and earthworms.The Scottish government has strongly opposed the test firing of DU shells on Scottish soil. But under the terms of the devolution settlement, it has no powers to prevent it.

Following a CADU/ICBUW event in the Scottish Parliament in February, Glasgow Green MSP, Patrick Harvie, has lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament strongly urging the Scottish government "to offer its moral and, where appropriate, practical support for a global ban on the use of depleted uranium weapons."

"The UK government should immediately commit never to use or test these shells again," said Harvie.

"The serious long-term effects of depleted uranium on health and the environment have long been well understood, and they bring a price neither Iraq nor Dumfriesshire should have to pay."

While the Scottish Government does not have powers under devolution to prevent tests going ahead, it is hoped that increased pressure will make it more difficult for the MOD to carry out tests in the future. The British Army has actually fired more DU rounds in Scotland, than it has in Iraq.

In response to media enquiries, the Scottish environment minister, Roseanna Cunningham, reiterated the government's strong opposition to the testing of DU shells in Scotland. "We presently have no powers to stop test firing on our soil by the MoD but we have repeatedly made it clear to Whitehall that we are against this practice," she said.

"The Scottish government wrote in strong terms to the MoD about that previous test firing and the lack of notification we received. We have since received assurances from them that there are no more test firings planned and we believe there should not be any more such testing on Scottish soil."

CADU and ICBUW are calling on all our supporters in Scotland to contact their MSP and ask them to support motion S3M-4113.