asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the Official Report the steps taken towards dismantling the British nuclear arsenal.

No such steps have been taken. We remain firmly committed to the maintenance of effective deterrence forces, including nuclear forces, as the basis of British defence policy. However, Her Majesty's Government have played a constructive part in the discussions which led to the NATO decision to withdraw 1,400 warheads over the next few years taken at Montebello in 1983, and in trying to achieve progress towards balanced, effective and verifiable arms control agreements.