Cruise Missiles

HC Deb 01 February 1983 vol 36 cc62-3W

13. Mr. Frank Allaun

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he now expects cruise missiles to be deployed in the United Kingdom.

14. Mr. Hal Miller

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current timetable for the cruise missile programme.

Mr. Blaker

In the absence of concrete results in the current negotiations on intermediate range nuclear forces in Geneva, cruise missiles will begin to be deployed in the United Kingdom at the end of 1983.

18. Mr. Meacher

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow) on 14 December, Official Report, c. 124, if he will set out in detail the precise procedures that guarantee dual control of cruise missiles in the United Kingdom.

26. Sir William van Straubenzee

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has yet reached a decision concerning the form of dual control over cruise missiles after they are installed.

31. Mr. Cryer

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the procedure for the installation and operation of cruise missiles; and whether their use will be subject to the agreement reached between Mr. Attlee and Mr. Truman in October 1951.

42. Mr. Neil Thorne

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure that no missiles can be launched from United Kingdom soil without the express consent of the Government.

Mr. Heseltine

I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Renton).

25. Mr. W. E. Garrett

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost of providing a dual key system for cruise missiles in Great Britain.

Mr. Heseltine

Ground-launched cruise missiles to be deployed in the United Kingdom from the end of this year in the absence of concrete results in the arms controled negotiations in Geneva will be owned and operated by the United States. They will not have a dual key system. Such an arrangement could entail the purchasing of the missiles and supporting equipment at a cost of many hundreds of millions of pounds as well as providing over 1,000 British service personnel to operate and maintain them. Since the Government are satisfied with the existing arrangements for joint decision, such expenditure would not be a sensible use of defence resources.

29. Mr. Flannery

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he has yet learnt the precise date on which cruise missiles will begin to be sited in the United Kingdom; and how many missiles are to be installed.

Mr. Blaker

In the absence of concrete results in the current arms control negotiations in Geneva, 160 cruise missiles will be deployed in the United Kingdom. Deployment of the first missiles will take place at the end of 1983.

36. Mr. Latham

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on his recent discusions with other Ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries regarding the deployment of cruise missiles in Europe.

Mr. Heseltine

At the meetings of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels in November and December last year attended by my right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State for Defence, Ministers reaffirmed the importance of proceeding with plans to modernise NATO's intermediate range nuclear forces through the deployment of Pershing II and cruise missiles in Europe in the absence of a concrete arms control agreement, while at the same time supporting the position of the United States Government at the INF arms control negotiations in Geneva, which seeks the elimination of all United States and Soviet land-based longer range INF missiles. Copies of the communiqué have been placed in the Library.

40. Mr. Winnick

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what further representations he has received concerning the siting of cruise missiles in Great Britain.

Mr. Blaker

Further to my answer to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hillsborough (Mr. Flannery) of 14 December—[Vol. 34, c. 124]—the Ministry of Defence has received 141 representations concerning the siting of cruise missiles in Great Britain in the period 6 December 1982 to 24 January 1983.