Written question asked by Paul Flynn (Labour) on Wednesday, 19 November 2014, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 21 November 2014. It was answered by Philip Dunne (Conservative) on Wednesday, 26 November 2014 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

AWE Aldermaston

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page Ev 94 of Attachment 1 to the written evidence submitted by the British Pugwash Group, in the Sixth Report of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Session 2009-10, Global Security: UK-US relations, HC 114, on what occasions and for what purposes US nuclear weapons laboratories have used experimental facilities at the UK Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston to conduct tests that were prohibited in the US.

Answer: None. Under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement, joint UK/US experiments have been carried out using facilities at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston to ensure the continued safety, security, and performance of UK and US nuclear warhead stockpiles; these experiments would not have been prohibited in the US.

Secondary information