My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Bob Ainsworth) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The UK's chemical protection programme is designed to protect against the use of chemical weapons.  Such a programme is permitted by the Chemical Weapons Convention, with which the United Kingdom is fully compliant.  Under the terms of the convention, we are required to provide information annually to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).  In accordance with the Government's commitment to openness, I am placing in the House of Commons Library a copy of the summary that has been provided to the organisation outlining the UK's chemical protection programme in 2008.