HC Deb 23 May 1988 vol 134 c26W
Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any of the three instances of violations of the declared purpose clause covering the safeguards of nuclear materials under Euratom treaty article 84, cited by Euratom safeguards director Wilhelm Gmelin in evidence before the Bundestag Enquiry Committee into nuclear materials in Bonn on 28 April, referred to nuclear materials in United Kingdom installations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Mellor

None of the three violations mentioned by Mr. Gmelin referred to nuclear materials in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to seek an early meeting with his counterpart in the Federal Republic of Germany to initiate a European Economic Community inquiry into the disappearance of nuclear materials in transit between European Economic Community states.

Mr. Mellor

No; the European Commission has already undertaken an investigation into the transfer of nuclear materials within the European Community. In addition, the European Parliament has set up a special committee of inquiry which we expect to report by the end of June.

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