§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those international agreements to which the United Kingdom is a party, covering export controls on sensitive equipment and materials; and if he will indicate in each case the primary purpose of the agreement and when the United Kingdom joined.
§ Mr. Douglas Hogg[holding answer 12 February 1990]: I have been asked to reply.
The United Kingdom is a depositary power to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty which was opened for signature in 1968. The treaty aims to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons, and ultimately to secure complete and general, as well as nuclear disarmament. In addition, the treaty provides a framework for peaceful nuclear co-operation. We are also members of the International Atomic Energy Authority, the Zangger committee and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, all of which play an important part in the non-proliferation regime. The United Kingdom is also a founder member of the missile technology control regime, established in 1987 to control the proliferation of ballistic missiles.
The United Kingdom is a party to the Geneva protocol (1925) which bans the use of chemical and bacteriological weapons and to the convention on the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of bacteriological and toxic weapons and on their destruction (1972). We are committed to securing a global, comprehensive and verifiable convention banning chemical weapons. Until that is achieved, we are working with
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other like-minded countries in the Australia Group to prevent proliferation of chemical and biological weapons, and their precursors.
The United Kingdom is a member of the co-ordinating committee for multilateral export controls (COCOM) which was established in 1949. It provides an informal framework within which controls can be agreed for strategic reasons on the export of sensitive goods to the proscribed destinations, principally the Soviet Union, eastern Europe and China.
These obligations and commitments are given effect through the maintenance of stringent export controls on sensitive equipment, materials and technology under the Export of Goods (Control) Order.