§ 26. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Defence if, in the light 552W of the accident to the Soviet satellite, he will make a statement on safety precautions against the unauthorised firing of the National Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear missiles, by design or accident; what actions he will take to increase these precautions; and what proposals he will make to reduce the number of missiles in both East and West.
§ Mr. MulleyOur nuclear missiles are subject to the most stringent safety precautions, which we keep under constant review. In addition, we have an agreement with the USSR on measures to prevent accidental nuclear war. The reduction of missile numbers is under discussion in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. The Soviet satellite was not, of course, a nuclear weapon, nor did its crash result from accidental launching.