This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'The British Christmas Island Nuclear tests 1950`s'.




 
DE&S Policy Secretariat Submarines 
 
 
 
 
#2043 Maple 0a 
 
MOD Abbey Wood 
Bristol BS34 8JH 
 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xx 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Mr Clifford 
Our Reference:  
 
28-09-2011-122717-009 
Via: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx 
 
Date:  26 October 2011 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dear Mr Clifford, 
 
Request for Information – Release of Information under the Freedom of Information (FOI) 
Act 2000  
 
Further to my email of 3 October 2011, I am writing to provide you an update on your FOI 
request where you asked the following: 
 
“I would like to know, were, dangerous and harmful levels of nuclear radiation, emitted by 
the detonation, of the various nuclear devices detonated during the course of the tests, 
and what were the levels recorded. 
      
By dangerous likely to injure or harm somebody, or to damage or destroy something. 
      
By harmful causing damage or injury to somebody/something, especially to a person's 
health or to the environment. 
      
I would also like to know , were, dangerous and harmful, by-products, produced by the 
detonation of the various nuclear devices, detonated during the course of these tests and 
what kind of effects, on cellular systems, animal, and environmental, did the detonations 
have, over the short and long term time period. 
      
By by-product a thing that happens, often unexpectedly, as the result of something else”. 
 
From our preliminary assessment, it is clear that we will not be able to answer your 
request without further refinement.  Under section 1(3) of the FOI Act, a public authority 
need not comply with a request unless any further information reasonably required to 
locate the information is supplied. If a request is too broad or general in nature, then public 
authorities have a duty to provide advice and assistance to the applicant in order to focus 
the request. 
 
In order to provide you with the information on the scale that you have requested would 
require an extensive search of a considerable number of files.  Section 12 of the Act 
makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of 
 


dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for central government is set 
at £600. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 3.5 working days in 
determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and 
extracting the information.  We estimate that it will take us in excess of 3.5 working days to 
determine appropriate material and locate, retrieve and extract the information in reference 
to your request. Therefore, your request will not be processed further.  
 
You may, however, wish to refine your request by narrowing its scope by being more 
specific about what information you particularly wish to obtain, for example you could 
specify which particular nuclear test you were interested in.  This will enable us to carry out 
a more refined search on your behalf. 
 
If you are not satisfied with this response or you wish to complain about any aspect of the 
handling of your request, then you should contact me in the first instance. If informal 
resolution is not possible and you are still dissatisfied then you may apply for an 
independent internal review by contacting the Head of Corporate Information, 2nd Floor, 
MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (e-mail xxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xx). Please note that 
any request for an internal review must be made within 40 working days of the date on 
which the attempt to reach informal resolution has come to an end. 
 
If you remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you may take your complaint to the 
Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of 
Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not investigate your 
case until the MOD internal review process has been completed. Further details of the role 
and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner's 
website, http://www.ico.gov.uk
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Policy Secretariat Submarines