§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to ensure that the United Kingdom fulfils its obligations under the chemical weapons convention with regard to chemicals that fall within the scope of the treaty but are not routinely monitored by the Organsiation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
§ Mr. NeedhamThe scope of the monitoring regime provided for in the chemical weapons convention is very broad. Known chemical weapons agents and their precursors, and toxic chemicals of particular concern and their precursors, are listed in the convention and will be monitored routinely. In addition, all plant sites producing by synthesis more than 200 tonnes of discrete organic chemicals per year will be subject to on-site verification four years after the convention enters into force, unless the conference of states parties decides otherwise.
It is intended to introduce legislation when parliamentary time permits to prohibit the production of chemicals for purposes prohibited by the convention.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many chemicals and families of chemicals will be subject to monitoring for routine verification by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons under the terms of the chemical weapons convention;
(2) how many chemicals and families of chemicals fall within the overall scope of the chemical weapons convention through its definition of chemical weapons.
§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 29 March 1993]: The chemical weapons convention lists 43 chemicals or families of chemicals which will be subject to monitoring for routine verification by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. In addition, all plant sites (except those producing exclusively explosives or hydrocarbons) producing more than 200 tonnes per year
160WGender information is automatically held on the Department's personnel database and specific surveys to establish the number of women employed are not necessary.
§ Mr. JannerTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are(a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people.
§ Mr. EggarThe figures for the Department, including its Executive Agencies, as at 1 January 1993 are:
of unscheduled discrete organic chemicals, or more than 30 tonnes of such chemicals containing phosphorous, sulphur or fluorine, will be required to make an annual declaration and, in the case of plants producing more than 200 tonnes per year, may be subject to on-site verification.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if it is his Department's policy that article VII of the chemical weapons convention requires the United Kingdom national authority to conduct any verification to ensure United Kingdom compliance with the chemical weapons convention; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 29 March 1993]: Under the chemical weapons convention, the role of conducting verification to ensure compliance is assigned to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Legislation will be introduced when parliamentary time permits to provide the necessary powers to ensure that the United Kingdom fulfils its obligations under the convention.