§ Rev. Martin Smythasked the Prime Minister what response has been made to the resolution of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland urging Her Majesty's Government to do everything in its power at the United Nations special session on disarmament to enable the general abolition of nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction and the subsequent transference of military expenditure to end world poverty.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Government have noted the resolution of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland. We pursue a policy for balanced disarmament, incorporating measures of nuclear and conventional disarmament. No programme for balanced disarmament will be realised overnight, but negotiations are in progress or in prospect that could provide us with what we want. We would like the second special session to endorse the view that the first priority is progress in these negotiations.
A successful outcome to the negotiations would free resources for purposes other than defence. This would be for the benefit of all, though there would, of course, be many claims on the freed resources.