HC Deb 03 December 1987 vol 123 cc713-4W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the reply,Official Report, 13 November, column 335, what is his Department's assessment of the potential military implications of the Soviet Union's microbiological research capability, including the likely level of self-damage which would result from its use.

Mr. Ian Stewart

[holding answer 30 November 1987]: The Soviet Union's significant microbiological research programme is capable of exploitation as a source of biological warfare agents. It is unlikely that weapons of this kind would be developed without every precaution being taken to prevent or minimise self-damage in the event of their use.