Chemical Weapons

HC Deb 17 January 1991 vol 183 cc544-5W

Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) of 30 November,Official Report, column 537, if he has any further information on decisions taken by the Supreme Soviet on methods of destruction of chemical weapons; and whether the United Kingdom offered the Soviet Union any technical assistance in the matter.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

I understand that the subject of chemical weapons destruction is still under discussion within the Supreme Soviet with no final decision having yet been made on the nature and location of chemical weapons destruction facilities.

The United States-Soviet bilateral agreement signed on 1 June 1990 allows for exchange of destruction technology between the State parties. In the past the United Kingdom has described to the Soviet Union the methods that we have used to destroy our chemical weapons.