§ Mr. HillTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which area of arms co-operation in the Atlantic Alliance notable progress has been registered in the last five years in efforts to increase the 1171W degree of standardisation and interoperability of military material; and what progress can be attributed to Western European Union initiatives.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkI have been asked to reply.
Much effort continues to be put into extending and improving international arrangements for defence equipment co-operation, within both NATO, under the auspices of the conference of national armaments directors, and the Independent European Programme Group. In the latter, for example, 15 harmonised European staff targets have been agreed; a research and technology programme is being established; and the European defence market is being opened up. Collaboration on specific programmes is widespread; table 6 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1989" shows the considerable number of projects in which the United Kingdom participates. The Western European Union has taken an interest in these and other areas, but progress on these issues within Europe as a whole is, and will remain, the responsibility of the IEPG.