§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how much of the pledged £750 million for the G8 Global Partnership against the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction has been paid out; [117914]
(2) what activities have been conducted by the G8 Global Partnership against the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction; and if he will make a statement. [117915]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienMy right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced in July 2002 that the UK would commit up to $750 million over 10 years to the G8 Global Partnership. We began developing programmes in the late 1990s to help deal with the former Soviet Union's WMD legacy. In 2002–03, we spent approximately £15 million on this programme, and in 2003–04, we anticipate spending around £33 million.
We continue to work to translate this G8 pledge into projects to prevent the proliferation of WMD. Following complex preparatory work, and recent progress on multilateral and bilateral UK-Russia legal agreements, we can now begin implementing projects to deal with spent nuclear fuel and dismantle nuclear submarines, a commitment of around £10 million this year. Other activities include: a contribution of £70 million to a G8 programme to help Russia dispose of weapons-grade plutonium; development of a Closed Nuclear Cities Partnership to tackle problems related to WMD expertise; and projects at the main Russian chemical weapons destruction facility at Shchuch'ye.
I am pleased to announce we are willing in principle to significantly increase our assistance to Russia to help destroy its declared stockpile of chemical weapons. Total funding of up to $100 million could be made available, from the $750 million Global Partnership commitment.
1151WOur G8 partners are developing or already implementing complementary project portfolios. Norway, Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland have recently decided to join the Partnership.