HC Deb 15 January 1985 vol 71 cc85-6W
Mr. Benn

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will publish any exchange of letters between Her Majesty's Government and the United States Government that constitute a waiver on the stipulation in the mutual defence agreement 1958 (as amended in 1959 and subsequently) that nuclear materials bartered under this arrangement shall be used for the furtherance of defence purposes by each state;

(2) whether the release of information by the United States Energy Secretary disclosing the isotopic composition of United Kingdom origin civil plutonium, transferred under the mutual defence agreement 1958 (as amended in 1959), was with the agreement of Her Majesty's Government.

Mr. Goodlad

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend gave the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) on 2 July 1984, at column 36, in which he explained that it is not Her Majesty's Government's practice to release details of exchanges such as those between the United States and United Kingdom Governments on the mutual defence agreement.

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