To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 2 June, Official Report, column 538, what is his Department's assessment of the number of countries that will have the capability to deploy anti-ballistic missiles by the year (a) 2000 and (b) 2010; and if he will list them.

By the year 2000 and 2010, only Russia and the United States are likely to have the capability to deploy full anti-ballistic missile systems. In addition, a number of other countries could deploy anti-tactical ballistic missiles in the same time frame.