§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the implications of a cut-off in military fissile material production for(a) the planned Trident deployment and (b) the production of other future United Kingdom nuclear weapons systems.
§ Mr. AitkenWe hope to be able to work towards a multilateral and verifiable cut-off in the production of fissile material for explosive purposes which has potential value for non-proliferation efforts. It would be premature to comment on the implications for the United Kingdom until the details of such a cut-off have been agreed.
§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the United Kingdom has the capability to recycle military fissile material, currently deployed in its strategic nuclear weapons and arising from the dismantlement of some of its tactical nuclear weapons, for use in its Trident missiles.
§ Mr. AitkenYes. The United Kingdom has the facilities for, and extensive experience in, the dismantling of redundant nuclear wapons and in the recycling of the fissile material.
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