§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to the development of a strategic defence initiative for the European part of the Alliance.
§ Mr. Norman LamontNone. The strategic defence initiative is a United States research programme to determine the feasibility of establishing an effective system of defence against ballistic missile attack. The United States Government have made clear that the research programme is designed to enhance Allied security as well as United States security.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the specific arrangements outlined in the memorandum of understanding on the strategic defence initiative which cover the following issues (a) security procedure, (b) administration of contracts, (c) limitations to the memorandum of understanding, (d) the right for Anglo-American partners within the strategic defence initiative programme to attend conferences together, (e) the arrangements which must be made for face-to-face meetings, (f) any other administrative procedures with a bearing on security or on the classification of research and development work, (g) intellectual property rights, (h) national and international trade laws and (i) the requirement for Government guarantees to underwrite strategic defence initiative research.
§ Mr. Norman LamontAs the Government have stated on a number of occasions recently the content of the memorandum of understanding and supporting administrative documentation related to British participation in the strategic defence initiative research programme is confidential.