§ 2.48 p.m.
§ Lord Hatch of Lusby asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether the 1976 contract for the supply to the Ministry of Defence of 1,100 tons of uranium oxide from Namibia has been fulfilled and if so when.
§ The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Lord Trefgarne)My Lords, I regret that I have been unable to identify the contract to which the noble Lord refers.
§ Lord Hatch of LusbyMy Lords, that is a most astonishing Answer. Is the noble Lord not aware that this contract was made in January 1976 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence? Is it impossible for him and his officials to find out what happened to that contract and whether or not it has been fulfilled? In view of the answers that he has given me on this subject before, and the answers given to me by the noble Lord, Lord Glenarthur, that no imports of uranium oxide have been made to this country from Namibia since the end of 1984, is it not worth his while discovering what has happened to that specific contract?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, I am afraid that the noble Lord is mistaken. No contract of the kind described by the noble Lord was entered into in 1976.
§ Lord Graham of EdmontonMy Lords, in that case, why do not the Government recognise the validity of the United Nations Council for Namibia Decree No. 1 under which the import of Namibian raw materials is declared illegal? Secondly, is it not odd that if, as was alleged in the Guardian of 31st December 1987, Namibian uranium oxide is being used to make plutonium for Trident warheads, our independent nuclear deterrent is dependent upon the supply of material from a country which has been rightly ostracised from the community of nations and can in no way be regarded as a secure source of supply?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, we believe that the United Nations Decree No. 1, to which the noble Lord referred, was passed outside the competence of the United Nations General Assembly and is therefore not binding.
§ Baroness SharplesMy Lords, does my noble friend accept that there are many countries throughout the world which import uranium for peaceful purposes in generating electricity?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, my noble friend is quite right, but the Question on the Order Paper relates to uranium being imported for defence purposes.
The Lord Bishop of ManchesterMy Lords, does the Minister accept that behind this Question lies the fact that a terrible war continues, affecting the people of Namibia? They look to the people of this country for support, and one of the most effective means of giving that support is to bring economic pressure to bear on the South African Government.
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, the right reverend Prelate will forgive me, but that is another question. As I indicated in my Answer today and in earlier Answers to the noble Lord, Lord Hatch—and as indicated in Answers that the noble Lord has received from other speakers at this Dispatch Box—it is a long time since we imported any uranium or uranium-related products from Namibia.
§ Lord Hatch of LusbyMy Lords, that last answer is at the least economical with the truth. It has already been admitted from the Government Front Bench that uranium has been imported into this country in order to manufacture hex, within which uranium is an important component. That hex has then been exported to other countries. Part of that uranium has come from Namibia.
§ Lord Hatch of LusbyMy Lords, is the Minister not aware of the Answers given by his colleague, the noble Lord, Lord Glenarthur, on this matter? Is he now saying that there was no agreement in 1976 to import uranium into this country? If so—
§ Lord Hatch of Lusby—do the Government still stand by Resolution 435 calling for independence for Namibia? Does not the Minister consider—
§ Lord Hatch of Lusby—that the import of uranium from Namibia is sabotaging that resolution, which is now 10 years old?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, the noble Lord asked whether I was aware of the Answers that have been given by my noble friend Lord Glenarthur. The answer is, yes, because I helped draft them.