§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the development of an international plutonium store to enhance non-proliferation.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe give careful consideration to any proposal which may contribute to international efforts to prevent proliferation.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the nuclear proliferation implications of the planned stockpiling of military usable plutonium by Japan over the next decade.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggJapan, as a non-nuclear weapon state party to the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, has undertaken a formal binding commitment not to develop nuclear weapons and has concluded a fullscope safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. We are satisfied that plutonium held by Japan will be covered by such safeguards, but we understand that it is Japan's intention to avoid the accumulation of stockpiles.