asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 12 March (WA 240–1), what specific proposals for creating a nuclear weapon-free world and to support zero tolerance of proliferation they propose to take to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee meeting from 28 April to 9 May. [HL2695]

Our primary objective for the 2008 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting will be to continue to develop the conditions for a successful outcome to the 2010 NPT Review Conference, essentially a strengthened NPT and seeking to make it harder for countries to withdraw from the NPT. The UK will present the preliminary findings of our research into the verification of nuclear disarmament, which the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston has been working on in conjunction with Norwegian defence laboratories and the non-governmental organisation Verification Research, Training and Information Centre. We will also discuss with key states the UK proposals for an enrichment bond and a UN Security Council permanent members' Nuclear Laboratories Conference. In our national statements, we will continue to call for the start of negotiations without preconditions on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty and for those states who have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.