§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans he has to review the use of cluster bombs by the armed forces; and if he will make a statement;[8724]
(2) what recent representations he has received regarding the use of cluster bombs. [8716]
§ Mr. IngramA large number of hon. Members have written to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence requesting reaction to recent large scale postcard2W campaigns co-ordinated by the non-governmental organisations Tearfund, Activist and Landmine Action. These pre-printed postcards express concerns about cluster bombs.
The Government have no plans to review the use of cluster bombs, which are a legitimate weapon that provide a capability against certain targets which cannot be effectively achieved in other ways.
Unexploded ordnance, including unexploded cluster bomblets, will form a major theme of the Review Conference of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in December 2001. Our central aim there will be to work towards a practical solution that secures our necessary capability as well as addressing humanitarian concerns.