§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will urgently make an assessment of the report, "The Military Utility of Landmines: Implications for Arms Control", published by the United States Department of Defence; and if he will publish his findings;
830W(2) for what reasons he has not made an assessment of the report published by the United States Department of Defence in June 1994 entitled the "Military Utility of Landmines: Implications for Arms Control".
§ Mr. FreemanWe have noted that the basic conclusion of this report—which was carried out by the Institute for Defence Analyses—is that issues of military utility need not preclude further consideration of any form of land mine arms control. That is the United Kingdom's position: we are at the forefront of international efforts to introduce tighter restrictions on the use and export of anti-personnel land mines.
My Department intends to assess the report later in the year as part of its continuing review of our military requirements for land mines. Following completion of this review, I will consider what information might be published.