HC Deb 21 April 2004 vol 420 cc538-40W
Alan Simpson

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he plans to lay before the House any amendments to the renewal of the 1958 Agreement for Co-operation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes between Her Majesty's Government and the United States of America; and if he will make a statement. [166575]

Mr. MacShane

Subject to the outcome of our continuing discussions with the Government of the United States, we expect to lay before the House some amendments to the Mutual Defence Agreement, including provision for its renewal for a further 10 years. We would expect these amendments to be laid before the House later this year in accordance with normal procedures.

Alan Simpson

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the scope of the discussions is between the United Kingdom and the United States Governments on the renewal of the 1958 Agreement for Co-operation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes; and if he will make a statement. [166576]

Mr. MacShane

Discussions are continuing between the Governments of the United Kingdom and the United States concerning the 1958 Agreement for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes. The Agreement requires renewal every 10 years and was last renewed in 1994. The present discussions concern the minor amendments and updating necessary to enable the Agreement to be renewed before it expires in December 2004.

Alan Simpson

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will post a copy of the US-UK Agreement for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes (as amended in 1994) on his Department's website. [166577]

Mr. MacShane

When any amendments to the Mutual Defence Agreement are laid before Parliament, copies of the Command Paper and accompanying Explanatory Memorandum will be posted on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website in accordance with the practice established in 2002.

The FCO will also place a copy of the original Agreement and subsequent amendments on its website at that time.

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