§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Defence if Her Majesty's Government will make it their policy not to make any change to their policy of non-production and non-storage of chemical and biological weapons in advance of the matter being debated in the House.
§ Mr. StanleyThe production and storage of biological weapons is not a policy issue as the United Kingdom is a party to, and co-depository of, the 1972 biological weapons convention which bans such action. On chemical weapons policy I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath (Mr. Townsend) on 10 January at column901. The question of a debate would be considered by the Leader of the House in the usual way.