HC Deb 22 February 1955 vol 537 c1065
46. Mr. Emrys Hughes

asked the Prime Minister when he proposes to make available to the House new information in his possession on atomic warfare.

The Prime Minister

I shall be dealing with this dominating subject when I speak in the defence debate next week. At present I have nothing to add to the information contained in the White Paper published on the 17th instant.

Mr. Emrys Hughes

Has the attention of the Prime Minister been drawn to the report of the United States Atomic Energy Commission which was published last week? Did the Government have the facts before them when they compiled the defence White Paper? Is the Prime Minister aware that the latest report says that the explosion of the latest H-bomb contaminated an area of 7,000 square miles and was equal to 20 million tons of T.N.T.? Were those considerations borne in mind when the White Paper was compiled?

The Prime Minister

I shall be making a statement on the subject next week, and I shall refer to these matters, among others, when I do so.