§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the proportion of trinitrotoluene used by or in use with the British services, either directly or in ammunition filling, that is of Warsaw pact manufacture or origin.
§ Mr. ButlerWe have not procured any trinitrotoluene (TNT) directly from Warsaw pact sources.
Most of the TNT used by, or in use with, the British services is procured through subcontracts from our prime contractors. The only known instance of a prime contractor incorporating TNT from a Warsaw pact source is the recent order for 11,000 25 pdr shells for training purposes placed with the Belgian firm of PRB. The TNT in that order constitutes very much less than 1 per cent. of that used by or in use with the British services.
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