§ 49. Mr. S. Silvermanasked the Minister of Defence whether paragraph 12 of the Defence White Paper of 1957 still represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.
§ Mr. SilvermanDoes that mean that it is still the policy of Her Majesty's Government to seek to repel an attack with conventional arms not merely by using nuclear weapons, but by being the first to use them? Is that not what paragraph 12 says quite clearly? Is the right hon. Gentleman really saying that that represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government today?
Mr. WardWith respect, I think the hon. Gentleman is referring to a different paragraph from that mentioned in the Question on the Order Paper—
§ Mr. SilvermanNo.
Mr. Ward—because paragraph 12 of the 1957 White Paper deals with the question of providing adequate protection for the people of this country against the consequences of an attack with nuclear weapons. It certainly remains the case that at present there is no means of providing full and adequate protection under nuclear attack. But that does not mean that there is not a great deal which can be done to mitigate the effects of such an attack, and so it is the purpose of the Government's civil defence policy and planning to do whatever we can to mitigate it.
§ Mr. SilvermanWill the right hon. Gentleman answer my supplementary question? I am sorry if I have contributed to any misunderstanding. The point of my question was whether it is still the Government's policy to resist an attack by conventional weapons by using nuclear weapons and by using them first?