§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Defence why he has not released a paper by Sir Henry Tizard, the Ministry's chief scientific adviser in 1949, arguing that Great Britain should abandon its attempt to become an independent nuclear power, although the document is part of a batch recently declassified under the 30-year rule.
§ Mr. PattieThe paper in question is one of a considerable number of documents dealing with atomic energy in the early post war years which, with the resources available, it has not yet been possible to review. The Lord Chancellor accordingly gave authority on 18 December 1979 for the retention of these documents for two years beyond the normal 30-year rule. A decision whether or not to release this paper has thus not yet been taken.