HL Deb 21 February 2005 vol 669 cc157-8WA
Lord Judd

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they are taking together with other nuclear weapon states to honour their commitments under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to move towards disarmament and to undertake specific measures to fulfil those commitments. [HL1289]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The UK is committed to all its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), including under Article VI, and has a very good record on disarmament. We have reduced the total explosive power of our nuclear forces by over 70 per cent since the end of the Cold War and have a stockpile of less than 200 operationally available warheads. Only one Trident submarine is on deterrent patrol at any time. It is normally on several days notice to fire and its missiles are not targeted at any other state.

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) based at the United Nations in Geneva, is the designated permanent multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community. The priorities for nuclear disarmament were agreed at the 2000 NPT Review Conference: the negotiation of a fissile material cut-off treaty at the CD, which the UK actively supports, and signature and ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, which the UK ratified in 1998. We have also been conducting studies into the verification of nuclear disarmament and intend to publish a report on these studies as well as statements detailing progress on all the articles of the NPT at the NPT Review Conference in May.

Lord Judd

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What arrangements they are making to reaffirm their previous commitments not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states. [HL1290]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The United Kingdom stands by the security assurances given to non-nuclear weapon states in our letter of 6 April 1995 to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and noted in Security Council Resolution 984 of that year. We reaffirmed these commitments at the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2000 and intend to do so again at the review conference to be held in May 2005. The UK also stands by the security assurances we have given in the protocols we have ratified to nuclear weapon-free zone treaties.

Lord Judd

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they are taking together with the United States, the Russian Federation, and other states to ensure that practical arrangements are in place to reduce the risk of accidental war, including a schedule for de-alerting their strategic nuclear weapons. [HL1291]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The UK has implemented a range of significant de-alerting measures. As announced in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review only one Trident submarine is on patrol at any one time, carrying a reduced load of 48 warheads and with a reduced state of alert. The submarine's missiles are not targeted and it will normally be at several days "notice to fire". A variety of procedural and technical means ensure that it is impossible for a single person to initiate the launch sequence for a UK nuclear weapon.

In their joint statement at the 2000 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the five recognised nuclear weapon states declared that none of their nuclear weapons is targeted at any state.

Lord Judd

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they are taking to promote a pledge by the United Nations Security Council to take collective action in response to a nuclear attack or threat of nuclear attack on a non-nuclear weapon state. [HL1292]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The United Kingdom stands by the security assurances in our letter of 6 April 1995 to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and noted in Security Council Resolution 984 of that year. This reaffirmed the UK's intention, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, to seek immediate Security Council action to provide assistance to non-nuclear weapon states party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that are victims of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used. The United Kingdom would also be prepared to take appropriate measures in response to a request from the victim for technical, medical, scientific or humanitarian assistance. We reaffirmed these commitments at the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2000 and intend to do so again at the review conference to be held in May 2005.