HL Deb 19 February 1998 vol 586 cc51-2WA
Lord Judd

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have studied Nuclear Weapons: Britain's Role in the Transition from a MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) to a SANE (Security After Nuclear Elimination) World published by the International Security Information Service in 1997; and to what extent they endorse the analysis and conclusion by its author, Professor Ken Booth. [HL548]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

I am aware of the International Security Information Service report to which the noble Lord refers.

Her Majesty's Government wholeheartedly endorses Professor Booth's goal of a nuclear weapons-free world and his acceptance that this cannot be achieved overnight.

We need to proceed towards our goal in a practical and realistic way, which is why we are examining all aspects of our nuclear policy in the Strategic Defence Review and elsewhere.