§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Prime Minister what response he has made to the proposal of the Secretary General of the International Atomic Energy Agency at its 35th conference concerning(a) the need to strengthen International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear safeguards by increasing the number of special inspections under the provisions of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and (b) the need for the International Atomic Energy Agency to be given additional information on nuclear programmes by the security services of non-proliferation treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency member states.
§ The Prime MinisterThe director-general in his statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency called for a strengthening of the safeguards system to provide, through special inspections, confidence that no undeclared nuclear installations or material exist in states which have accepted full-scope safeguards. The United Kingdom fully endorses this policy and has made this support clear.
To enable the agency to exercise its right to make special inspections of undeclared activities, it requires access to information pointing to their existence. It is the intention of the Government to assist the agency in this context as far as possible by providing relevant information as appropriate.