§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Soviet Union has yet responded to the proposals of the United States of 177W America on verifying the yield of nuclear tests with a view to the United States of America ratifying the threshold test ban treaty; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Gower (Mr. Wardell) earlier today.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the international forums since January 1979 at which Her Majesty's Government have been attempting to achieve progress on the problem of resolving verification issues relative to a comprehensive nuclear test ban; and if he will place in the Library a copy of Her Majesty's Government's proposals to the conference of disarmament for an appropriate mandate for an ad hoc committee to discuss the issue of adequately verifying a comprehensive nuclear test ban.
§ Mr. RentonThe appropriate forum in which to seek to resolve verification issues relative to a comprehensive nuclear test ban is the conference on disarmament and the bodies which the conference decides to establish. We have participated in the work of the ad hoc group of scientific experts since its inception and we have sought an appropriate mandate for an ad hoc committee to conduct a substantive examination of issues relevant to a comprehensive test ban with a view to the negotiation of a treaty. The United Kingdom's proposals for these mandates are contained in CD521, a copy of which (together with all other CD documents) is available in the Library of the House.