Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conclusions they drew following their attendance at the 2014 Vienna conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review sets out the Government's approach towards our independent nuclear deterrent. As a responsible nuclear weapons state we are committed to the long-term goal of a world without nuclear weapons and will work with our international partners to tackle proliferation and to make progress on nuclear disarmament.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why their representatives in the International Court of Justice on 14 March requested the Court to declare that it lacked jurisdiction over the claim brought against the UK by the Marshall Islands, or that the claim is inadmissible, and under what circumstances they believe the International Court of Justice has jurisdiction.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK's representatives requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to declare the case inadmissible because that was our assessment following our analysis of the Marshall Islands’ claim. The detail of the UK’s legal arguments is contained in its written preliminary objections to jurisdiction and admissibility, as filed with the Court on 15 June 2015 and oral pleadings, as delivered at the public hearings held at the Court between 9 and 16 March 2016. The question of whether the ICJ has jurisdiction in a particular set of circumstances is a matter to be determined by the Court on a case-by-case basis in light of the relevant facts.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which of the permanent members of the UN Security Council support the UK’s proposal to the Conference on Disarmament, as set out by the UK Permanent Representative to that Conference in his letter of 19 February (CD/2055).
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Discussions on this are still at an early stage and it would be inappropriate for the UK to comment on other States’ positions before they are made public. However, we hope that all members of the UN Conference on Disarmament can support the UK proposal to establish a working group and an associated programme of work.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider hosting a conference on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear war similar to those hosted by Oslo, Nayarit and Vienna.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK has no plans to host such a conference.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their priorities for the UN Open Ended Working Group on nuclear disarmament, taking place from 22 to 26 February, and what expertise the UK can offer on issues of non-proliferation.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK is not attending the Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) on nuclear disarmament in Geneva. The UK, along with the four other Non-Proliferation Treaty Nuclear Weapons States, voted against the resolution establishing the OEWG at the UN General Assembly First Committee. The Government works with international partners and various organisations to ensure that UK experience and expertise helps to tackle the threat of weapons proliferation but believes that productive results can only be ensured through a consensus-based approach that takes into account the wider global security environment.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to attend the UN Open Ended Working Group on nuclear disarmament which takes place from 22 to 26 February.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK is not attending the Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) on nuclear disarmament in Geneva. The UK, along with the four other Non-Proliferation Treaty Nuclear Weapons States, voted against the resolution establishing the OEWG at the UN General Assembly First Committee. The Government believes that productive results can only be ensured through a consensus-based approach that takes into account the wider global security environment.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to vote in the affirmative at the 7 December plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on (1) Resolution L13 <i>Taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations</i>, and (2) Resolution L.37 <i>Humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons.</i>
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
At the UN First Committee in November, the UK voted against the Resolutions “L13 Taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations” and “L37 Humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons”. As the text of the resolutions has not changed between the First Committee and the General Assembly plenary, we do not anticipate changing our vote.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the outcomes from the UN Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty review conference in 2015; and what assessment they have made of those outcomes.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
I refer the noble Baroness to the Written Ministerial Statement of 1 June following the conclusion of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, made by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), which I repeated the same day in the House of Lords (HLWS6).
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions were held at the UN Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty review conference in 2015 about the risk of nuclear inadvertence leading to the accidental, unauthorised or mistaken use of nuclear weapons.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK gives the very highest priority to the security and safety of our nuclear weapons, and robust arrangements are in place for the political control of the UK’s strategic nuclear deterrent. At the 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, over 50 working papers were put forward by States Parties or groups of States and a large number of formal and informal statements were made over the four weeks of the Conference. These covered a broad range of issues related to all aspects of the Treaty, including the security and safety of nuclear weapons.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals were put forward at the UN Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty review conference in 2015 to mitigate the risks of inadvertent use of nuclear weapons; and what assessment they have made of the appropriate forums in which to hold discussions before the next conference in 2020.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK gives the very highest priority to the security and safety of our nuclear weapons, and robust arrangements are in place for the political control of the UK’s strategic nuclear deterrent. At the 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, over 50 working papers were put forward by States Parties or groups of States and a large number of formal and informal statements were made over the four weeks of the Conference. These covered a broad range of issues related to all aspects of the Treaty, including the security and safety of nuclear weapons. We will continue to engage constructively in discussions on all aspects of the Treaty in the appropriate fora including the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October this year and at the forthcoming Preparatory Committees of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty scheduled for 2017, 2018 and 2019.