NUCLEAR WEAPONS STORAGE

Early day motion 1959, tabled 19 July 2007 by Dai Davies (Independent). Signed by 29 members.

That this House notes with disappointment the written reply by the Ministry of Defence to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South of 18th July 2007, Official Report, column 405W, on the deployment of nuclear weapons at RAF Lakenheath, which declines to confirm the presence of United States-owned nuclear weapons deployed under the auspices of NATO; welcomes the revelation in the Radio 4 Document programme on 16th July that when United States nuclear armed cruise missiles were deployed at RAF Greenham Common between 1983 and 1991, despite safety warnings from scientists employed at AWE Aldermaston on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, 10 million people, including the population of London, could have been exposed to an inhalation hazard from plutonium if warheads exploded or caught fire; congratulates investigative journalist Rob Edwards for persisting through the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, to ensure these hitherto secret papers were released; and calls upon the Government to make public each of the full safety assessments conducted by British nuclear safety authorities, on the deployment of nuclear warheads at military bases in the United Kingdom and its overseas territories.

Signatures by party: Labour 20, Liberal Democrat 5, Plaid Cymru 2, Independent 1, Scottish National Party 1.