§ 23. Mr. LeighTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the military implications of prospects for reduction in the number of nuclear weapons in Europe.
§ Mr. Ian StewartThe security of this country and that of its allies will continue to depend for the foreseeable future on the policy of deterrence based on a balanced mix of nuclear and conventional forces. We are confident that NATO's strategy of flexible response can continue to be implemented after the conclusion of the INF agreement now in prospect, an agreement which we fully support.