Clause 1 - Further implementation of CFE Treaty
Arms Control and Disarmament (Inspections) Bill [Lords]
8:55 am
Mr Denis MacShane (Minister of State (Europe), Foreign & Commonwealth Office; Rotherham, Labour)
I will endeavour to reply to those questions. I apologise to the hon. Member for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (Mr. Moore) if he has not received a reply on the status of the US bases in the UK. The US is, of course, a party to the CFE treaty, under which US forces stationed in the UK and the treaty area are declared by the USA and are subject to inspection. The US situation is analogous to the position of UK forces stationed in Germany, which are declared by the UK and are also subject to section VII and section VIII inspections. I am happy to write to the hon. Gentleman on that point.
On territorial ceilings, the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Mr. Spring) is right to note that the CFE treaty covers Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals. The adapted CFE treaty has the same area of application. The national ceilings for Russia and Kazakhstan under the CFE treaty and adapted CFE treaty do not cover any equipment held east of the Urals, in the same way as the US national ceiling under the CFE treaty covers equipment held in the area of application but does not cover equipment held in the USA.
The hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire asked about the discussions with landowners, contractors and defence operators in the private sector. Those discussions mainly involve the firm Qinetiq, which is an important private contractor for defence activity in the UK. Most of its managers are from the Ministry of Defence and they understand the obligations that are laid on the British and other Governments. They accept that the inspection regime will have to be maintained. However, the number of inspections is not onerous and we have no evidence that they will impose a new business burden on the company. That dialogue continues, and responsible members of the private sector whose activities or operations the treaty will cover will, I am sure, comply fully with the Bill and accept the international obligations that we expect companies in other parts in the area of application to respect.
With those points of clarification and my assurance that the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness will
receive a written reply to his questions, which I shall be happy to circulate to other hon. Members, I hope that the Committee will allow the clause to stand part of the Bill.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Schedules 1 and 2 agreed to.