asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has submitted Her Majesty's Government's views to the NATO study group concerning NATO's area of military responsibility.

There is no such NATO study group. As I have already explained to the hon. Member, the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic is undertaking a study of the problems of protecting NATO merchant shipping should it be attacked outside the NATO operational boundaries.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his current assessment of the military balance between NATO and the Warsaw Pact Alliance.

I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave earlier this afternoon to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Cook).