§ Mr. Shersbyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report details of the action taken by Her Majesty's Government since 5 May 1979 to encourage disarmament.
§ Mr. RifkindI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Stockport, North (Mr. Bennett) on 16 November.— [Vol. 32, c.101–2.] Since then we have taken the following actions to encourage arms control and disarmament.
November 1982: We co-sponsored six resolutions in the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. These covered a chemical warfare convention; confidence-building measures; arms control in outer space; the review conference of the Environmental Modification Treaty; Regional Disarmament; and signature of the United Nations Weaponry Convention.November 1982 — April 1983: We continue to seek an effective agreement on the reduction of conventional forces in Europe through the Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction talks.December 1982 — March 1983: Participation in NATO discussion on US-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction talks in Geneva.January—March 1983: Extensive consultations with our Allies prior to the offer by the United States to the Soviet Union of an interim agreement on intermediate range nuclear forces.February 1983: United Kingdom participation in Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean Peace Zone in New York.March 1983: United Kingdom paper on verification of non-production of chemical warfare weapons tabled in the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva.176WApril 1983: United Kingdom paper on definition of radiological weapons and the scope of a radiological weapons treaty tabled in the Committee on Disarmament.April 1983: United Kingdom participation in Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean Peace Zone in New York.November 1982 — April 1983: Work of United Kingdom experts in United Nations study groups on conventional arms, research and development and nuclear weapon-free zones.