§ Lord Jenkins of Putneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will support at the United Nations a proposal to move towards their aim of eliminating 108WA nuclear weapons by means of a convention similar to those banning chemical and biological weapons. [HL2716]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanAs I made clear to the noble Lord on 17 June (H.L. Deb., col. 1564) developments over the past few years have shown us that real progress is more likely to result from detailed negotiations for specific agreements than from work on an all-encompassing plan. We believe this will be more productive than a single-step approach in dealing with nuclear weapons, which have played a much more prominent part in the military thinking and planning of their possessors than chemical and biological weapons have done.