§ 22. Mr. David EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has as to the current size of the Soviet Union stockpile of chemical weapons; and what proportion of such weapons he estimated are stationed in eastern Europe.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI refer my hon. Friend to page 9 of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1989 (Cm 675-I). We believe the size of the Soviet stockpile of chemical weapons to be several times higher than the 50,000 tonnes that the Soviets have claimed. We also have good grounds for believing that the Soviet Union has stationed chemical weapons in eastern Europe, but I am unable to say what proportion of the total Soviet stockpile these might currently comprise.