Written question asked by Alan Meale (Labour) on Thursday, 13 October 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 17 October 2005. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Thursday, 20 October 2005 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Defence Weaponry (Space)

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on weapons in space;

Answer: The focus of the UK Government's space policy is on civil and scientific uses. However, we also derive important security benefits from its military use. Like many countries, the UK uses satellites for a wide range of military functions such as secure communications, meteorological predictions, and effective monitoring of various arms control treaties.Although the military use of space is integral to our security responsibilities, the UK Government have no plans to deploy weapons in space. As one of the depository states (along with the US and Russia), the UK Government continue to fully support the 1967 Outer Space treaty, which places important constraints on the use of space, including prohibiting the development of weapons of mass destruction in space and military activity on the moon and other celestial bodies.The main forum for discussing the military use of space is the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. We have taken part in informal discussions on the possibility of a further treaty banning weapons in space, although there has been no international consensus on the need for such a treaty. We continue to support the annual resolution on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) at the UN.

Secondary information