§ 2.54 p.m.
§ Lord Jenkins of Putney asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether they will sponsor a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly requesting the International Court of Justice to give an advisory opinion on the legality or otherwise of the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons as methods of warfare.
§ Lord Jenkins of PutneyMy Lords, the noble Earl will forgive me if I refrain from thanking him for that somewhat negative answer. Will he say whether, if such a resolution were tabled by other countries, Her Majesty's Government will support the resolution and if not, why not?
§ Lord Cledwyn of PenrhosMy Lords, in view of the significant reduction in nuclear arms proposed by the United States and the Soviet Union and taking account of the fact that the NATO summit will be held in Rome tomorrow and on Friday, can the noble Earl say what proposals Her Majesty's Government have for any possible reduction in our nuclear stockpile?
The Earl of CaithnessMy Lords, the United Kingdom has already announced significant cuts in its nuclear capability. I am sure that the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition understood the gist of the debate on Monday last, which was that we need a deterrent in this country too.
§ Lord Hailsham of Saint MaryleboneMy Lords, is it not obvious that there is no question which relates specifically to nuclear weapons which would not apply equally to saturation bombing by high explosive or incendiary weapons, nerve gas or chemical weapons?
The Earl of CaithnessMy Lords, my noble and learned friend has raised an important point but perhaps this is not the moment to deal with the semantics of it.
§ Lord Cledwyn of PenrhosMy Lords, I did not suggest that a deterrent was not necessary. That was not implied in my question, as the noble Earl seemed to think. My question is, what new policies, if any, will Her Majesty's Government put before the summit tomorrow and on Friday?
The Earl of CaithnessMy Lords, I did not infer from the noble Lord's original question that it was a matter of getting rid of our deterrent. I wished to make the point that the deterrent is an important part of our policy. Following the moves by the President of the United States, we announced significant cuts in our nuclear capability, including giving up ground-launched sub-strategic systems in Europe and ending the deployment of maritime tactical nuclear systems in normal circumstances.
§ Lord GisboroughMy Lords, can my noble friend say how many other countries in the world apart from the various Soviet republics have or are developing nuclear weaponry?
§ Lord Jenkins of PutneyMy Lords, is the noble Earl aware that the noble and learned Lord, Lord Hailsham, at least attempted an answer to my question? Would it not be a good idea if the noble Earl were to retire and restore the noble and learned Lord to the Front Bench?