§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make available information on the likely scale of a nuclear attack on the United Kingdom; and whether previous estimates of 200 megatons are still used as a guideline.
§ Mr. Giles ShawAs I said in a reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing) on 6 December at columns 279–80, it is impossible to predict with any certainty the size of a nuclear attack, the targets it would include, or its effects. They would depend on the political and strategic intentions of an enemy at the time. The Government's policy of deterrence aims to prevent an attack of any sort happening.