§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF special storage areas have been closed since 1 April 1997; for what reason these special storage areas were closed; where these special storage areas were located; and on what date each was closed. [77149]
§ Mr. SpellarTwo RAF special storage areas were closed in 1998 because they were no longer needed following the withdrawal of the WE177 nuclear weapon. The location of these areas are covered by Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information because of the long-standing policy of neither confirming nor denying the presence of nuclear weapons at a particular time or place. This policy is, however, under review, and I will write to the hon. Member when the review is concluded.