Written question asked by Llew Smith (Labour) on Tuesday, 26 November 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 December 2002. It was answered by Mike O'Brien (Labour) on Monday, 2 December 2002 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what report he has received regarding the quantities of missile material stocks held by (a) each of the four nuclear weapons states party to the non-proliferation treaty, (b) Israel, (c) India, (d) Pakistan, (e) Democratic People's Republic of Korea and (f) Iraq.

Answer: Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what report he has received regarding the quantities of missile material stocks held by (a) each of the four nuclear weapons states party to the non-proliferation treaty, (b) Israel, (c) India, (d) Pakistan, (e) Democratic People's Republic of Korea and (f) Iraq. [84219] Mr. Mike O'Brien: Any national analysis of quantities of missile stocks would be heavily based on intelligence assessments. Under exemption l(a) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it is not Government policy to publish such information. There are, however, unofficial assessments available from non-governmental sources, including the military balance produced by International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Although the report by IISS will not have had access to Government information. With regard to Iraq, the most reliable source of information on missile stocks remains the final report from UNSCOM, published in 1999.

Secondary information