§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list the parameters under which he has determined the legal status of the planned radar modernisation at RAF Fylingdales;
(2) what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the planned modernisation of radar facilities at RAF Fylingdales with the anti-ballistic missile treaty.
§ Mr. RentonAs we have already made clear, we have no doubts that the modernisation of RAF Fylingdales will be fully in accordance with United States obligations under the ABM treaty. There was a ballistic missile early warning system installation at Fylingdales before the treaty was signed in 1972. The treaty does not prohibit modernisation of ballistic missile early warning system radars already in existence when the treaty provisions came into force.