HC Deb 09 February 1995 vol 254 c413W
Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies are being undertaken with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies into the risks posed by proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; if these studies include(a) defences against ballistic missiles, (b) defences against theatre missiles and (c) defences against cruise missiles; and what time scale is intended for their completion.

Mr. Soames

At the NATO summit in January 1994, alliance leaders agreed that NATO should develop a policy framework to address the risks posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The first phase of this work, which assessed the risks posed to the alliance by the proliferation of these weapons, has been completed. This assessment did not examine specific defensive measures, though future work is likely to do so. We hope that significant progress will have been made by the end of this year.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy in respect of the conclusions of the NATO assessment of proliferation risks.

Mr. Soames

The United Kingdom has welcomed the NATO report on the risks posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means. We believe that it will form a good basis for the future work of the alliance in addressing risks posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.