§ 20. Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are taken to minimise the risk of accidental detonation of nuclear weapons.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe designs of all British nuclear weapons comply with stringent safety standards. Nuclear weapons are afforded the highest practicable procedural and physical safeguards during manufacture, storage and transport.
§ 22. Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evidence he has of the development of nuclear weapons by countries outside NATO and the former Warsaw pact.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonOutside NATO and the Warsaw pact, China is the one declared nuclear weapons state. Argentina, Brazil, India, Israel, Pakistan and South Africa all have significant nuclear facilities not subject to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, as does North Korea which is not recognised as a state by Her Majesty's Government. None of these countries has declared itself to have or to be seeking nuclear weapons. In addition, Iraq was thought to have an active nuclear programme prior to the Gulf conflict. UN Security Council resolution 687 requires that Iraq unconditionally agrees not to acquire or develop nuclear weapons.