§ Mrs. Clwydasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government have any plans to support the US Government policy position, as stated by Richard Perle on 29 June in Geneva, to oppose any global movement of plutonium intended for commercial peaceful uses.
§ Mr. RentonWe have no record of such a statement. We see no reason to oppose the use of plutonium in civil power reactors and the consequent international movement of the material provided that stringent precautions are taken.
Policy regarding transfer of plutonium from reprocessing operations in the United Kingdom remains as set out in the statement by the then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Dr. Owen), on 22 March 1978. For transfers within the EC this is applied in conformity with the EC ministerial declaration of 20 November 1984.