HC Deb 20 January 1995 vol 252 cc742-3W
Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list each of the amendments made by date and command number since 1965 to the 1958 United States-United Kingdom mutual defence agreement on atomic energy co-operation, setting out the particular purpose of each amendment; and which amendments were ratified in accordance with the Ponsonby rule.

Mr. David Davis

The amendments which have been made to the 1958 United States-United Kingdom mutual defence agreement since 1965 entered into force on the following dates: 28 March 1969, Cmnd 4119; 8 April 1970, Cmnd 4383; 26 January 1975, Cmnd 6017; 25 March 1980, Cmnd 7976; 16 November 1984, Cmnd 9434; and 23 December 1994, Cmnd 2686. The prime purpose of each amendment was to extend the time-limited article III bis; occasionally new paragraphs on nuclear materials accountancy procedures were inserted.

As for the last part of the hon. Member's question, that information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the reason for the time period that elapsed between the presenting to the US Congress by President Clinton of the proposed amendments to the 1958 United States-United Kingdom mutual defence agreement on atomic energy matters and the same amendments being laid before Parliament.

Mr. David Davis

The 1994 amendment to the 1958 United States-United Kingdom mutual defence agreement was laid before Parliament in good time in order to ensure its ratification before the end of 1994. As US procedures require such documents to be laid before Congress for 90 days, it was necessary for the amendment to be presented earlier in the United States.

Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Boothferry (Mr. Davis), has yet replied to the hon. Member for Nottingham, South (Mr. Simpson) in respect of the working group dealing with co-operation on computer modelling referred to in the debate on the Anglo-American mutual defence agreement on atomic energy,Official Report, 15 December, column 1238.

Mr. David Davis

I wrote to the hon. Member for Nottingham, South on 9 January. I shall place a copy of my reply in the Library.

Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the technical annex to the 1958 United States—United Kingdom mutual defence agreement on atomic energy co-operation, as amended; and what infonnation he has as to its publication status in the United States.

Mr. David Davis

The technical annex to the 1958 United Kingdom—United States mutual defence agreement is a classified document. I have no plans to place a copy in the Library or to arrange for its publication.