§ 125. Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the on-site inspections provided by the intermediate range nuclear forces treaty are working satisfactorily; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonTo date, the system of on-site inspections provided for under the terms of the treaty on the elimination of United States and Soviet intermediate range missiles has operated satisfactorily in so far as it affects the United Kingdom. Both the United States and Soviet Governments have also expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the on-site inspections. Soviet inspectors have visited the United Kingdom three times since the treaty took effect on 1 June 1988: on 19–22 July 1988 baseline inspections were conducted at RAF Greenham common and RAF Molesworth; on 31 October to 2 November 1988 a short-notice inspection from their annual quota was conducted at RAF Molesworth; and on 18–20 January 1989 a close-out inspection was conducted at RAF Molesworth, together with a short-notice inspection from their annual quota at RAF Greenham common.