§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if British nuclear tests will be affected by the agreement between the United States of America and the Soviet Union of verification protocols to the threshold test ban treaty and the peaceful nuclear explosions treaty and the ratification of those treaties.
§ Mr. WaldegraveFor many years the policy of the United Kingdom has been to test nuclear devices within the 150 kiloton yield limit imposed by the US-Soviet threshold test ban treaty. Because our nuclear tests are conducted at the Nevada test site we have agreed that the verification measures, which will allow each party to monitor the yield of certain tests conducted by the other, can be extended to British tests. We are satisfied that these arrangements will not significantly affect British tests and that there are no security implications.