§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the study by F. H. Cripps and A. Stimson at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment entitled "The Distribution of Uranium 235 and Plutonium 239 around the United States Airforce base at Greenham Common". [31072]
§ Mr. FreemanThe report is currently being retained under section 3(4) of the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967. It will be reviewed at regular intervals until release into the custody of the Public Record Office becomes possible.
§ Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he has had with his United States counterpart in regard to his announcement on 18 June that the United States wishes to resume nuclear tests. [31123]
§ Mr. FreemanIt is for the United States Government to determine what is necessary to ensure the safe stewardship of their nuclear weapons.
§ Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the unclassified version of his departmental report evaluating the effectiveness of the Migrant Echo nuclear weapons accident exercise in April 1994; [31066]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the scenario used by the Migrant Echo nuclear weapons emergency exercise held in Suffolk in April 1994; and if he will make a statement on the exercise. [31068]
§ Mr. HowardI have been asked to reply.
Exercise Migrant Echo was an exercise which was held on 14–15 April 1994, prior to Exercise Diver Mist, with the objective of testing the joint UK-US procedures for dealing with a terrorist threat to nuclear materials held on a RAF base in Suffolk.
94WA series of classified contingency plans exist for responding to a wide range of terrorist threats, including those which might involve the threatened or actual use of nuclear, chemical and biological materials. In the interests of national security and the protection of the public these are regularly reviewed, tested and updated in the light of changing circumstances.