Written question asked by Mark Lazarowicz (Labour) on Thursday, 24 June 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 28 June 2010. It was answered by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Tuesday, 6 July 2010 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Nuclear Test Ban: Treaties

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government plan to take to seek to persuade Annex 2 countries to (a) sign and (b) ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; and how many staff his Department has assigned to undertake work in connection with that Treaty.

Answer: The Government will continue to take all appropriate opportunities to promote signature and ratification of the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty (CTBT), with particular focus on the remaining nine annex 2 countries. We will also continue to support the CTBT Organisation's own efforts to promote entry into force, including through CTBT article XVI (entry into force) events.The Government will continue to support the United States of America (US) Administration's commitment to ratify the treaty, recognising that US ratification is likely to provide an impetus for other annex 2 countries to follow suit.My nuclear team works on CTBT, together with colleagues from the Ministry Of Defence.

Secondary information