Written question asked by Gordon Prentice (Labour) on Thursday, 30 June 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 July 2005. It was answered by Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour) on Thursday, 14 July 2005 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Nuclear Deterrence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will meet Mr. Robert McNamara to discuss the contribution the UK may make to nuclear disarmament and nuclear war proliferation; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: I have no appointment to meet Mr. Robert McNamara. The UK has a very strong record on nuclear disarmament and we have reduced the explosive power of our nuclear forces by over 70 per cent. since the end of the Cold War. We are committed to the global elimination of nuclear weapons. We are most concerned about nuclear proliferation and active in efforts to combat it. This is demonstrated by the negotiations we, France and Germany, in association with the EU, are conducting with Iran concerning its nuclear programme, and by the assistance we and the US gave to Libya in implementing its announcement of December 2003 to abandon its nuclear weapon and other WMD programmes.

Secondary information