To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which cluster munitions held by the UK are designated as (a) dumb and (b) smart; and what criteria are used to determine such designation. (142527)

The UK’s understanding of so-called ‘dumb’ cluster munitions, are those containing numerous sub-munitions, each with an explosive content but without either a target discrimination or self-destruct, self-neutralization or self-deactivation function. As stated in the written ministerial statement on 20 March 2007, Official Report, column 36WS, by my hon. Friend the Defence Secretary, the two systems that met this definition, the RBL-755 and MLRS M26, have now been withdrawn from service. We retain our other cluster munition, the ‘non-dumb’ ERBS L20A1 M85.