HC Deb 16 May 1962 vol 659 cc1323-4
19. Mr. Paget

asked the Minister of Defence what steps he is taking to assist in examining the balance between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's nuclear and conventional forces as recommended in paragraph 9 of the recent North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Council communiqué.

Mr. Watkinson

As the communiqué states the N.A.T.O. Council will be considering a report on the contribution of Member Countries towards balanced forces for N.A.T.O. defence at its next meeting in December. As I said in the House last week the triennial review which deals with the level of conventional forces will shortly be doing this complicated work. The United Kingdom will take a full part in the usual way in the review which will form the basis of the report to the Council.

Mr. Paget

When the White Paper says that the West relies for its defence primarily upon the deterrent effect of its vast stockpile of nuclear weapons and that the allied forces in Europe will hold the front for the time needed for us to bring in the counter-offensive, is that the balance of nuclear and conventional forces contemplated by the Government in this paragraph?

Mr. Watkinson

The hon. and learned Gentleman knows perfectly well what the balance is. The balance is indeed recognised in the communiqué, and by the statement by the British and United States Governments. It partly rests on strategic nuclear weapons, partly on tactical weapons, partly on conventional weapons. It is a balance which always needs re-examination, and that is what the Answer says.

Mr. Paget

Surely something has happened at Athens, and surely that something is a recognition that we can rely much less than we previously contemplated on massive deterrents or whatever it is, and that we have got to rely much more on conventional forces? Why will not the right hon. Gentleman face up to it and say so?

Mr. Watkinson

I do not face up to it because it was not a decision taken at Athens. If the hon. and learned Gentleman will be kind enough to read my original Answer, he will see that the Alliance proposes to examine this problem.