HC Deb 15 July 1986 vol 101 cc838-9
7. Mr. Lawler

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when the promotion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was last discussed at a Defence Planning Committee meeting.

The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. George Younger)

Questions related to the need to explain and encourage public support for NATO policies are frequently discussed at Defence Planning Committee and North Atlantic Council meetings.

Mr. Lawler

Is my right hon. Friend not concerned that young people in particular are subject to large amounts of anti-NATO and anti-nuclear propaganda, increasingly under the guise of peace studies, and that, for example, the public perception would he that the NATO nuclear stockpile is not at its lowest level for 20 years, as is the case, but that it is probably at its highest? Should not NATO he doing more to inform the public of its role in the peace movement?

Mr. Younger

I agree with my hon. Friend that a great deal more could be done to bring home to many people, especially young people, the importance of the NATO Alliance, which is absolutely essential for the whole posture of our defence policy. On promoting the importance of NATO, it is up to NATO, which has a budget for this purpose, and individual members, such as the United Kingdom, to do all they can in that regard. I certainly assure my hon. Friend that I shall do all I can to forward that.

Mr. Marlow

What would happen to NATO if the Labour party kicked out the Americans from their bases in the United Kingdom?

Mr. Younger

My hon. Friend has hit on an extremely serious possibility, but he may agree that the prospect of that happening is rather remote. However, if it did, I would feel extremely worried about how the general public in America would react and what the effect of that would be on the Alliance thereafter.

Sir Antony Buck

Does my right hon. Friend agree that perhaps more should be done, literally on a NATO basis, to put forward the NATO cause in partnership with what is done by individual NATO countries? Could not the NATO defence college do more than it is doing to spread what might be described as the NATO cause?

Mr. Younger

I agree with my hon. and learned Friend that perhaps more should be done by NATO. The NATO press and information service, which works closely with Government information services, maintains an active programme of films, audio visual productions, seminars and visits. My hon. and learned Friend might be interested to know that in 1985 no fewer than 76 groups from the United Kingdom visited NATO, and 60 groups have visited NATO so far this year. NATO is far from being inactive in this area, but I am sure that it could do more.