§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes to his Department's policy on a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty have been made in the last four years. [26176]
§ Mr. FreemanFor many years, HMG have been committed to achieving the conclusion of an effective and verifiable comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. We welcomed in August 1993 the conference on disarmament mandating an ad hoc committee on a nuclear test ban to negotiate such a treaty. We have kept our policy under close review and, for example, on 6 April this year announced in the conference on disarmament that we have now accepted that there should be no exemption in the draft treaty for tests in exceptional circumstances.