§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes in United Kingdom policy on a comprehensive test ban occurred between the publication of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1987" and the publication of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1988."
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe sections of the 1987 and 1988 statements on the Defence Estimates dealing with a comprehensive test ban represent the same policy expressed in different terms. Both express support for a step-by-step approach; both recognise that a comprehensive test ban is a long-term goal; and both note that important verification difficulties remain to be resolved. We also recognise that the security of the United Kingdom will depend for the foreseeable future on deterrence based, in part, on the possession of nuclear weapons. That means a continuing requirement to conduct underground nuclear tests to ensure that our nuclear weapons remain effective and up to date.