Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking with international partners (a) through the UN and (b) in other fora to (i) tackle the use of nuclear rhetoric and (ii) promote disarmament.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Alongside our NATO Allies and G7 partners, we have consistently condemned Russia's irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. In February 2024, G7 Foreign Ministers "condemned Russia's irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, its posture of strategic intimidation, its announcement that it has deployed nuclear weapons in Belarus, at an increasingly unstable and dangerous moment, and its undermining of arms control regimes". Our nuclear deterrent has protected the UK and our Allies from the most extreme acts of aggression and will continue to protect us for as long as it is needed. We remain committed to full implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
In 2023 G7 Leaders issued the Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament, which reaffirms our commitment to achieving a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all. The UK has also funded over £1.8 million worth of projects on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, including our annual conference to address the diplomatic, political and strategic challenges for the global non-proliferation regime. This sits alongside our work on verification and irreversibility of nuclear disarmament that uniquely connects key government representatives with non-government policy, scientific and technical experts.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of his Department's expenditure on a replacement nuclear deterrent on the non-nuclear equipment budget.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Funding for programmes in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise is now ringfenced within the Defence budget. This will help to protect the wider Equipment Plan budget from any financial pressures in nuclear programmes.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps he has taken to (a) assess and (b) enhance preparedness in response to nuclear threats.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The United Kingdom has well-developed contingency plans to respond to a wide range of eventualities. The plans and supporting arrangements have been developed, refined and tested over many years.
The scale of these capabilities is driven by classified planning assumptions derived from the United Kingdom’s National Security Risk Assessment. The Government sets out some of the main risks and emergencies that drive this common consequence planning in the National Risk Register.
As part of the UK’s broad emergency response capabilities, there are Local Resilience Forums (LRFs), multi-agency partnerships made up of representatives from local public services such as the NHS, local authorities, emergency services, and others.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence during the debate on Nuclear Test Veterans: Medical Records of 28 November 2023, Official Report, column 245WH, whether his Department has examined the 150 Atomic Weapons Establishment files.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I personally examined all 150 records at the Atomic Weapons Establishment on 18 March. I will update the House on plans for their release in due course.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to de-escalate nuclear rhetoric in the context of the Ukraine war.
Answered by James Heappey
The Russia Ukraine war is a very serious situation but is not, and should not become, a nuclear crisis. Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is unhelpful and the UK, along with our allies and partners continues to call on Russia to de-escalate.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by The Earl of Minto on 4 March (HL2591), why it is not possible for the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston to facilitate the delivery of the 150 nuclear test veteran documents to a secure ministerial office within the Ministry of Defence for review by the Minister for Defence People and Families.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Minister for Defence People and Families (Dr Andrew Murrison) will visit the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) shortly to personally review the information and consider its release into the public domain. Given the volume of documents to be reviewed it was considered more practical for the Minister to visit AWE.
There are no restrictions on Ministers accessing these records with the Minister for Defence People and Families the most appropriate given his responsibility for veteran’s affairs. The documents had a variety of security classifications and are now declassified.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the HMS Vanguard Demonstration and Shakedown Operation which took place on 30 January, what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the noble Lord to the Written Statement I laid in this House on 21 February, HLWS268.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to diversify the UK's nuclear deterrent capabilities.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The 2013 Trident Alternatives Review demonstrated that no other system is as capable, resilient or cost effective as our current deterrent capability based on a four nuclear-armed submarine solution. That has not changed; the Trident II D5 missile system, carried by our Vanguard Class submarines, remains the most reliable weapons system in the world having successfully completed more than 190 tests.
The Government has absolute confidence that the UK’s deterrent remains effective, dependable, and formidable. That is why we are continuing to invest in the next generation of Dreadnought Class ballistic missile submarines, in extending the life of the Trident missile and in replacing the warhead, to keep us safe for decades to come.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Defence People and Families during the debate on Nuclear Test Veterans: Medical Records on 28 November 2023, Official Report, column 247WH, what his planned timetable is to decide on public release of the 150 Atomic Weapons Establishment files on Nuclear Test Veterans.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I plan to visit the Atomic Weapons Establishment this month to personally review the information and consider its release into the public domain.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government on what date they requested access to the 150 documents held by the Atomic Weapons Establishment concerning blood tests taken from British troops during radiation experiments; how many of the files requested were provided; and how many were withheld.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Minister for Defence People and Families (the Rt Hon Dr Andrrew Murrison) asked officials at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) to review the 150 documents to enable his review of that information shortly before the debate on Nuclear Test Veterans: Medical Records on 28 November 2023.
The Minister will personally assess all 150 documents when he visits AWE shortly and will consider their release into the public domain.