§ Lord Jenkins of Putneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will reconsider the view expressed by Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 26th May that she concurred with the Earl of Halsbury that reprocessed plutonium cannot be used to make nuclear weapons, in view of the report in The Guardian of 4th June that Dr. Hans Blix of the International Atomic Energy Agency disagrees.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey)I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by my noble friend Viscount Cranborne on 2nd November 1992 (col.WA 113). The House will understand that it would not be in the national interest to give any further details. The important points are that all reactor grade plutonium is held in secure conditions while in this country and that any trade in it is of course subject to stringent internationally accepted standards of safeguards and physical protection. We would only allow the export of plutonium from reprocessing if we had received satisfactory assurances that it would only be used for peaceful non-explosive purposes.