Cruise Missiles (Hansard, 26 January 1982)

§ 11. Sir William van Straubenzee
asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the first cruise missiles to be sited in Berkshire.

§ Mr. Blaker
On current plans, the first cruise missiles are due to be deployed at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire by the end of 1983.

§ Sir William van Straubenzee
In working on that programme, will my hon. Friend reject totally some local views to the effect that, by virtue of the siting, the county of Berkshire will in some way become a more vulnerable target? Will he remember that the vast majority of local people believe that the best way in which to avoid a third world war is through the robust maintenance of our defences?

§ Mr. Blaker
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his robust support of the project. I welcome what he says about opinion in Berkshire in general. The deployment of the cruise missile will help us to deter war, which is the main objective of our military policy. As to the vulnerability of Greenham Common, my hon. Friend will he aware that in times of tension or war the cruise missiles would be deployed away from the base.

§ Mr. Stoddart
Is the Minister aware of the picket of the Greenham Common base by a group of women who, like me, never wish to see the cruise missile deployed there or elsewhere? Is he also aware that Newbury district council is trying to stop the picket by evicting people from that piece of wasteland? Can he assure us that neither he nor the American Department of Defence has put any pressure on Newbury district council?

§ Mr. Blaker
I am aware of the presence of that group of women on the site. The land is common land and does not belong to the Ministry of Defence. The fate of these people is not a matter for the Ministry of Defence.

§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson
Can my hon. Friend confirm that when those missiles are deployed at RAF Greenham Common there are no circumstances in which they can be fired without the consent of the Government?

§ Mr. Blaker
I confirm that fact.

§ Mr. Denzil Davies
Are not the constituents of the hon. Member for Wokingham (Sir W. van Straubenzee) right to be worried, because was not the cruise missile designed to fight a limited nuclear war in Europe? Does not the very concept of a limited nuclear war make it more likely that there will be a nuclear war? Does the Minister agree that the main priority should be conventional armaments instead of cruise missiles?

§ Mr. Blaker
There are many people in Britain and in other Western countries who are worried about the existence of nuclear weapons. One purpose of the Ministry of Defence is to explain the facts about nuclear weapons to counter the many mis-statements of fact that come from other sources. One remark made by the right hon. Gentleman demonstrates that he is suffering from a misapprehension. The missiles are not intended to fight a limited nuclear war in Europe. They are intended to show that the United States of America is closely tied in to the defence of Western Europe, thus adding to the deterrent effect presented to any potential aggressor.