To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the merits of increasing the UK donations to the nuclear security fund under the budget of the International Atomic Energy Agency for the purposes of increasing that agency’s verification capacity. (281901)

I have been asked to reply.

The UK reviews annually its ability to make voluntary contributions to the IAEA’s extra-budgetary nuclear security fund. We made the most recent such payment of £3.5 million in March this year, making a total of £5.5 million over the last three years. The Nuclear Security Fund covers assistance to states to address nuclear security issues rather than verification. The latter is handled by the IAEA regular budget, the UK contribution to which is set by the IAEA in accordance with UN allocation procedures.