§ 19. Mr. Bill Walkerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what detection equipment will be available to police and fire services and local authorities to monitor the presence of toxic chemicals in the event of terrorist use of chemical weapons or materials.
§ Mr. Giles ShawIt would not be in the interests of security to disclose details of the equipment which might be deployed to combat terrorist activity.
§ Mr. WalkerWhile I thank my hon. Friend for that reply, may I ask whether he agrees that, in the light of state-sponsored terrorism and the fact that weapons of this kind are becoming much more sophisticated, the action taken in the last week or two has been valuable in dealing with the matter? Does he further agree that it is important to see that we are equipped to deal with such action properly and effectively should it ever happen?
§ Mr. ShawI think my hon. Friend is right to say that in the present climate of Government-backed terrorism every possible contingency should be covered, and I wish to give my hon. Friend the assurance that contingency plans exist for dealing with a whole variety of possible terrorist activities.