§ Lord Brockwayasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will appoint a Minister of Disarmament and whether they will list those governments which have appointed such a Minister.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Young)No. We are satisfied with the present arrangements whereby my right honourable and learned friend takes the lead on policies affecting arms control and disarmament matters, with support from my honourable friend, the Member for Shoreham, as part of his wider ministerial portfolio.
Constitutional practices vary widely from country to country. There is a complex variety of ministerial, 537WA ambassadorial and executive disarmament appointments. We are not aware of any Western or other government that has appointed a Minister whose only responsibility is disarmament.
The Director of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency holds ministerial rank.