HC Deb 08 December 1987 vol 124 cc143-5W
20. Miss Mowlam

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what buttressing in nuclear weaponry Her Majesty's Government are considering in the wake of the intermediate nuclear forces agreement.

Mr. Younger

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd).

22. Mr. Chapman

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for conventional forces deployment of an International Nuclear Forces Agreement on short and medium range nuclear weapons in Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Ian Stewart

Following the successful conclusion of an INF agreement, NATO's strategy of flexible response will continue to depend on an adequate mix of both nuclear and conventional forces. NATO's Defence Ministers at their meeting in Brussels last week (a copy of the communiqué from which is being placed in the Library) reaffirmed the importance both of maintaining effective conventional forces and of seeking to reduce conventional disparities between NATO and the Warsaw pact through arms control agreements.

23. Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will directly discuss with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ways of reducing minimum nuclear forces following the signing of the intermediate nuclear forces agreement.

60. Mr. Heffer

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will directly discuss with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ways of reducing minimum nuclear forces following on from the signing of the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

Mr. Ian Stewart

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms. Primarolo) earlier today.

29. Mr. Neil Hamilton

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimates his Department has made of the number of Soviet nuclear warheads that will be eliminated as a result of the treaty to reduce the number of intermediate-range nuclear weapons.

Mr. Ian Stewart

Precise details of our assessments are classified, but we expect that more than 1,500 deployed warheads will be eliminated.

31. Mr. Norman Hogg

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what adjustments in nuclear weaponry Her Majesty's Government are considering in the wake of the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

38. Ms. Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what compensatory measures Her Majesty's Government are considering in the wake of the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

41. Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what buttressing in nuclear weaponry Her Majesty's Government are considering in the wake of the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

45. Mr. Allen Adams

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what enhancement measures Her Majesty's Government are considering in the wake of the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

46. Mr. Caborn

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what offsetting measures Her Majesty's Government are considering in the wake of the intermediate nuclear forces agreement.

57. Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what adjustments in nuclear weaponry Her Majesty's Government are considering in the wake of the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

64. Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what compensatory measures Her Majesty's Government are considering in the wake of the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

73. Mr. Martlew

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what offsetting arrangements Her Majesty's Government are considering in the wake of the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

Mr. Ian Stewart

I refer the hon. Members to the reply given earlier today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd).

32. Mr. Allen McKay

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what arms control and disarmament negotiations he expects to contribute directly following the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

54. Mr. Grocott

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what arms control and disarmament negotiations he expects to contribute directly, following the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

74. Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what new arms control and disarmament negotiations he expects to contribute directly following the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

Mr. Ian Stewart

I refer the hon. Members to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) earlier today.

33. Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received regarding the implications for the United Kingdom's defence policy of the proposed treaty to reduce intermediate range nuclear weapons.

Mr. Ian Stewart

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received representations from many quarters in recent months concerning the prospective INF agreement. The majority have welcomed the agreement, as do the Government, as a significant step towards greater international security.

43. Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what implications the treaty to reduce intermediate-range nuclear weapons will have for the balance of conventional forces in Europe.

Mr. Ian Stewart

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mr. Chapman) earlier today.

47. Mr. Mullin

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will discuss with his NATO colleagues their policy on the next stage in negotiations on arms control with the Soviet Union, following the intermediate-range nuclear forces agreement.

Mr. Ian Stewart

We maintain a constant dialogue with our colleagues in NATO on the full range of defence and security issues facing the Alliance. NATO's arms control priorities, which are being pursued vigorously, were reaffirmed by North Atlantic Committee Ministers at their meeting at Reykjavik in June, a copy of the communiqué from which is in the Library.