Nuclear Weapons (Hansard, 14 July 1994)

§ Mr. Llew Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what input his Department had into the first interdepartmental export promotion committee on 5 July; and if he will make a statement on the ways in which non-proliferation controls will be integrated into the export expansion strategy.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
The ministerial conference on exports and trade development on Tuesday 5 July was the first meeting at ministerial level of the Whitehall Export Promotion Committee. The committee was set up in 1992 and is run by the FCO/DTI joint export promotion directorate. At present, both the chairman and secretary of the committee are members of the FCO.
The ministerial conference was chaired by the President of the Board of Trade. The Minister for Trade, spoke about DTI export promotion activity. My right hon. Friend the Minister responsible for commercial work within the FCO, gave a detailed presentation on the FCO's role in the jointly run FCO/DTI Overseas Trade Services and, in particular, on the range of commercial activity at FCO posts overseas.
754W
Non-proliferation issues were not discussed at the conference. But my right hon. Friend the Member for Wiltshire, North (Mr. Needham) is the DTI Minister responsible both for export controls and export promotion. The DTI has a continuing awareness programme to keep exporters informed of the United Kingdom's non-proliferation obligations. Goods of proliferation concern, which are included in the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, may be exported from the United Kingdom only under the authority of a licence guaranteed by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

§ Mr. Llew Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to her replies to the hon. Member for Barrow, and Furness (Mr. Hutton) of 5 July,Official Report, column 138, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Australian resumé paper and the draft treaty texts for a comprehensive nuclear test ban to which he refers.

§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
I have arranged for copies of the Australian paper to be placed in the Library of the House. It is not the intention of the two working groups to make their draft treaty texts available outside the comprehensive test ban talks. These texts will form the basis of negotiation in the next session.

§ Mr. Llew Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of his departmental paper NPRO 29 (93–94), dated 10 February 1994, on United Kingdom policy on weapon proliferation and control.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no record of a paper of this reference and date on this subject. I set out our policy on non-proliferation to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 6 July.

§ Mr. Llew Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria exist for eligibility of countries to join the nuclear suppliers group; and what information he has on refusals to applicant countries to the nuclear suppliers group.

§ Mr. Douglas Hogg
An invitation to join the nuclear suppliers group is subject to consensus decision on a case-by-case basis by subscribing Governments. Criteria for membership of the NSG include commitment to non-proliferation including being party to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty or equivalent regional arrangements; adherence to the NSG guidelines; potential to supply items controlled by the NSG; and establishment of effective controls on the export of such items. The NSG has publicly appealed to all states to adhere to the NSG guidelines and apply controls to their exports of nuclear materials and equipment.