HL Deb 22 May 1989 vol 508 c142WA
Lord Jenkins of Putney

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, since 1979, any uranium has been imported from the United States for military uses.

Viscount Long

As my right honourable friend the then Minister of State for Defence Procurement informed the other place on 17th January 1985 (Official Report, cols. 183–4) we have procured depleted uranium for the development programme of anti-armour ammunition. Some of the material to which my right honourable friend referred was purchased from the United States for the purposes of prototype production. The other place was informed on the same day of the PHALANX system deployed with the Royal Navy, which is purchased from the United States together with its depleted uranium alloy ammunition.

With regard to the use of uranium in the defence nuclear programme all details of tries, quantity and quality of nuclear materials imported under the United Kingdom/United States bilateral Agreement on Co-operation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes are classified and in the national interest must remain so. However, I can say that no uranium ore concentrate has been imported for defence purposes since well before 1979.