Chemical Weapons: Control (Hansard, 19 May 1986)

§ Lord Kennet
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, any deployment of chemical weapons to the United Kingdom at any time would require the consent of Her Majesty's Government. If such a request were ever to be received, it would be a matter for decision by the British Government of the day, in the light of all the circumstances prevailing at the time.

§ Lord Kennet
My Lords, in view of the reported fact that the United States army is at present training its men in the use of binary chemical weapons of the kind which would be brought here in a crisis, and that it is also training its troops in chemical warfare with the use of real nerve gas—I repeat, real nerve gas—to give them confidence in their gas masks, will the Government take the opportunity to consider whether it might not be advantageous to proclaim now that if 4 and when such weapons are stationed here (and all sides of the House hope they will never have to be) they will be under dual key?

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, the noble Lord said that such weapons would be brought here in a time of crisis. That would be a matter for the government of the day and I am afraid that I am not in a position to bind future governments or, for that matter, to bind the present Government in regard to what is a hypothetical situation.

§ Lord Molloy
My Lords, in so far as successive governments have set a supreme example by having nothing to do with chemical weapons, may I ask whether that is still the policy of Her Majesty's Government? In the event of another country wishing to station chemical weapons in this country for use elsewhere, would it not be right and proper that Parliament should immediately be informed in order to obtain its opinion on whether such an act should be embarked upon?

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, the view of the Government on this matter has been reflected on a number of occasions and during a number of debates, notably in your Lordships' House. The essence of government policy is to ensure a worldwide ban on these weapons, and we are working to that end in Geneva.

§ Lord Boston of Faversham
My Lords, can the Minister say whether Her Majesty's Government are contemplating any agreement with the United States along the lines of the one reported to have been made between Chancellor Kohl of West Germany and the United States, which I understand to be that West Germany would be prepared to station binary weapons on its soil at a time of imminent crisis? Can the Minister say further whether the Prime Minister has given an undertaking to Chancellor Kohl along those lines, and if so how can that be squared with his statement of government policy on 3rd May last year that we are not contemplating resuming possession of these weapons?

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, the policy of the British Government remains exactly as it was when I referred to this matter earlier in your Lordships' House.

§ Lord Kennet
My Lords, may I ask the Minister whether this would be a convenient opportunity to consult with the noble Lord, Lord Glenarthur, who is sitting beside him, on the question of binding future governments, in view of the generous way in which the noble Lord, Lord Glenarthur, on Friday last proclaimed an obligation on future governments to look after certain citizens of Hong Kong in the right way?

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, if the noble Lord imagines that he will be a member of some future government and wants to accept Conservative Government policy in advance, I should be happy to agree with him.

§ Lord Boston of Faversham
; My Lords, I hope that your Lordships will forgive me for returning to the Dispatch Box. However, does the answer given by the noble Lord to my last supplementary question mean that no such undertaking has been given by the Prime Minister or any member of the Government to Chancellor Kohl?

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, I can confirm that we have received no request from the United States Government along the lines hypothecated by the noble Lord.

§ Lord Mayhew
My Lords, can the noble Lord tell us the terms of the agreement that I understand has been reached at NATO that these weapons will not be deployed in Europe?

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, no, I do not believe that any such agreement has been reached in NATO. I understand that what has happened is that a draft force goal has been agreed to but that it has yet to be agreed by NATO defence Ministers.

§ Lord Rea
My Lords, can the noble Lord the Minister say what the Government's position will be at the meeting of the NATO defence Ministers later this week on whether or not a force goal should be agreed? Before it can permit the production of this new generation of chemical weapons, the United States Congress has to see that the force goal has been agreed by the NATO nations.

§ Lord Trefgarne
My Lords, we shall be supporting that defence goal.