§ Lord BROCKWAYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the terms of the draft agreement with Australia prohibiting the use of uranium imported from that country for the manufacture of nuclear weapons.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (Lord Goronwy-Roberts)My Lords, the United Kingdom-Australia nuclear safeguards Agreement will shortly be initialled by officials. The Agreement will be published as soon as the procedures of Article 103 of the Euratom Treaty are completed and the Agreement can be formally signed.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy Lords, while welcoming the Agreement, I should like to ask the Government whether they would consider extending it on an international scale, now that five Governments—Canada, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia and India—have accepted the principles? Could not the Proliferation of Nuclear Arms Treaty be extended to become also a non-proliferation of uranium for nuclear arms treaty?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, I am sure that this Agreement, which is imminent for initialling, and which we hope will be signed within the next few weeks, will be an important contribution towards the aims which 674 my noble friend has in mind. He will be aware, as is the House, that both parties—Australia and the United Kingdom—are actively and constructively engaged in what is known as the international nuclear fuel cycle evaluation, which has a strong bearing on the points raised by my noble friend.
§ Lord O'HAGANMy Lords, did the noble Lord mention the Euratom Treaty? Can he explain to the House the extent to which the European Economic Community is involved in the process that he has been describing?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSMy Lords, the EEC is concerned in two ways, as no doubt the noble Lord knows. In discussing this Agreement we have taken full account of the provisions of the Euratom Treaty to which we are parties. Secondly, there is provision in that Treaty, under Article 103, whereby any bilateral agreement of this sort shall be considered within the month—I think this is the point being made by the noble Lord—by the Commission to see whether it accords in every important particular with the provisions of the Euratom Treaty. I have absolutely no apprehensions that the Commission will find in the Agreement, when it examines it, anything which will create difficulty for the Commission or for us.
§ Lord WYNNE-JONESMy Lords, will my noble friend assure the House that the pursuance of the non-proliferation for arms purposes is being done in such a way as to guarantee that there will be proper availability of processing uranium waste in order to make certain that it is used for peaceful purposes and not for warlike purposes?
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSThat, indeed, my Lords, is the essential purpose of this Agreement. Both countries are, of course, already parties to the IAEE safeguards system. Additionally, I should like once more to stress that we are both parties to the evaluation that I mentioned. It is world-wide and brings in all significant nuclear countries with a view not only to ensuring safeguards but looking to the larger question of the peaceful dissemination and availability of nuclear technology.