§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps he is taking to enforce the banning of all chemical and biological weapons and the ending of their use.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe United Kingdom is a party to both the 1925 Geneva protocol prohibiting the use of poisonous gas and bacteriological methods of warfare, and the 1972 biological weapons convention which prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of biological and toxin weapons.
A comprehensive global chemical weapons convention is under negotiation at the conference on disarmament in Geneva. Good progress has been made but much work remains, particularly on verification. We are continuing to play an active role in resolving the remaining problems.
In his speech to the United Nations special session on disarmament on 7 June, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs called for wider accession to the 1925 Geneva protocol; automatic United Nations investigation of allegations of chemical weapons use; and international action in the event of confirmed use of chemical weapons.