HC Deb 01 December 1987 vol 123 c492W
Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if a copy of the intermediate range nuclear forces treaty will be made available to hon. and right hon. Members; and if he will make a statement about the implications for the United Kingdom of the version finally agreed.

Mr. Mellor

A copy of the United States/Soviet treaty, once signed, will be made available to the House. Copies of the United Kingdom agreements with the United States and Soviet Union on the arrangements for inspections in the United Kingdom will also be made available once these agreements are signed.

Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in the light of the fact that, under the proposed intermediate nuclear forces treaty, he will permit foreign observers to inspect military facilities on United Kingdom soil, Her Majesty's Government will(a) be a signatory to any part of the treaty and (b) enjoy reciprocal rights to take part in the teams inspecting facilities in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and United States of America; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Mellor

The intermediate nuclear forces treaty is a bilateral one between the United States and Soviet Union. We will not be a signatory to any part of the treaty. But we will conclude a separate agreement with the United States concerning the inspection arrangements in this country and a further separate agreement in the form of an exchange of notes with the Soviet Union to safeguard our sovereignty and security. Compliance with the treaty will be entirely a matter for the United States and the Soviet Union; the inspection teams will comprise United States and Soviet personnel.