§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he has had with his(a) NATO counterparts and (b) WEU counterparts concerning the creation of a ballistic missile defence system; and if he will make a statement. [26995]
§ Mr. FreemanConsultations with NATO allies have covered a range of BMD issues including risk, prospective defensive architectures, the scope for collaboration and its contribution to our non-proliferation work. There has been no recent consideration of these issues within WEU, although there was some discussion in 1994 of the issues arising from the possible proliferation of ballistic missiles.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any decision by his Department to acquire a ballistic missile defence system will be taken with full consultation with the UK's NATO and WEU allies. [26996]
§ Mr. FreemanThe UK continues to participate in work with our NATO allies to assess the potential threat from theatre ballistic missiles, and to assess any requirement for systems to counter it.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's policy concerning the development of a national ballistic missile defence system; and if he will make a statement. [26997]
§ Mr. FreemanWe are currently assessing whether we have a national requirement for ballistic missile defence, and this task will be informed by the outcome from a contract awarded last October to a consortium led by British Aerospace to provide advice on options, capabilities, time scales, costs and technical risk.