§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they and allied powers are taking to help reduce the number of nuclear weapons held by Russia; whether their own reduction of capacity for nuclear war is proceeding pari passu; and what are the cost and duration of current programmes affecting nuclear weapons in Russia, stating separately the cost of eliminating nuclear waste. [HL1234]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanWe continue to urge the Russian Duma to ratify the START II agreement, so that negotiations may begin on a START III Treaty. The Strategic Defence Review set out the steps we are taking nationally to reduce our own nuclear weapons to the minimum level necessary.
The US will have spent over 2 billion US dollars on nuclear security programmes in Russia and the newly independent states between 1992 and 1999. These programmes will continue over the next five years. The G7/8 are currently studying options for the disposal of surplus weapons grade plutonium in Russia. The cost and duration of this programme are not yet clear. The US, Russia and IAEA are currently discussing a trilateral initiative to put certain US and Russian nuclear materials declared excess to defence needs under IAEA verification. Again, costs are not yet clear.
It has been estimated that the cost of completely eliminating nuclear waste and cleaning up contaminated areas in Russia could be in the range of 500 billion to 1, 000 billion US dollars. It is of course unrealistic that such sums would be available from Western donors. Most pollution is low level and in remote regions. We are therefore, with our international partners, focusing on the most significant problems. For example, the EU is spending 8 million ecu dealing with nuclear waste in north-west Russia through its Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS) programme.