Nuclear Energy: Fissile Materials
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking to expedite and conclude negotiations to establish an arrangement based on Articles III and IX of the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) statute to enable the IAEA to act as guarantor for the supply of fissile material to civilian nuclear users. [HL1329]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary's Statement to the House on 25 February 2004 (/Official Report/, cols. /WS 48–49/) outlined the UK's current thinking on fissile material supply. He proposed that states not in compliance with their International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards obligations, while retaining the right to a civil nuclear programme, might forfeit their right to develop the nuclear fuel cycle. Countries honouring their safeguards obligations could supply fissile material for such programmes under IAEA monitoring while in the receiving country, and reclaim spent fuel after use.
The UK is playing a full role in IAEA Director General Dr El Baradei's expert group. It is expected that the group will report shortly, and we look forward to studying its contents.
Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking to expedite negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament of a verifiable Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty which would, on a designated schedule, end the production of highly enriched uranium for all purposes. [HL1331]
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Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The United Kingdom has been active since 1993 in efforts to begin negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) that would ban the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other explosive devices, but progress has been prevented by linkages with other issues and, more recently, discussions on whether an FMCT could be verified. We would prefer to see a verifiable FMCT, but we have been encouraging the commencement of negotiations, without preconditions, to prevent further delay. We ceased production of fissile material for defence purposes in 1995 and have placed fissile material not for defence purposes under international safeguards.
Nuclear and Chemical Weapons
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking to ensure that the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Association and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are required to report twice yearly to the United Nations Security Council on the status of safeguards and verification processes and on any concerns they may have of falling short of a breach of the Treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Chemical Weapons Convention. [HL1332]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean:
The Government support measures that would encourage a deeper relationship between the United Nations Security Council and both the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency including for the respective directors general to brief the Security Council within the remit of their own organisations. It is for the Security Council to decide how to manage its agenda.