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Proliferation in ParliamentBack to Proliferation in Parliament, Winter 2008 Westminster ParliamentMissile Defence and NATO-Russia relations
Russia: Missiles, Written Answers, 25 Nov 2008 : Column 1211WMr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Russia’s planned deployment of Iskander missiles to the Kaliningrad region; what discussions he has had on the matter with (a) the Polish government and (b) his other NATO counterparts; what assessment he has made of President Medvedev’s threat electronically to jam US anti-ballistic missile systems; and if he will make a statement. Caroline Flint: Deployment of these missiles would be unfortunate and unnecessary. The US has made clear many times, the planned Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system is not intended for, or capable of, countering Russian strategic nuclear forces, but is designed to counter limited ballistic missile threats from states of concern. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the Polish government, or the governments of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nations, on this specific issue, although the issue of BMD is routinely discussed in a number of forums. Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) NATO and (b) EU partners on the Russian declaration on installing short-range offensive Iskander missiles close to the borders of Lithuania, Poland and Germany; and if he will make a statement. Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to
the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) (question 234947). Ballistic Missile Defence, Written Answers, 24 Nov 2008 : Column 1032WColin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond of 4 June 2007, Official Report, column 237W, on missile defence systems, what further discussions have taken place with the US on missile defence since the developments referred to in the Answer. Caroline Flint: The issue of ballistic missile defence (BMD) is
routinely discussed both bilaterally with the US, and in various North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) fora. Since the Bucharest summit,
NATO has been carrying out work looking at extending the coverage of the
US BMD system to cover the whole of the NATO homeland region. It is anticipated
that this work will culminate in a report being presented to the Strasbourg
summit in April 2009, with a view to NATO Ministers making a political
decision on the future of BMD in Europe. Ballistic Missile Defence, Written Answers, 17 Nov 2008 : Column 141WMr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the UK's role in the American missile defence programme is; and if he will make a statement. Mr. Hutton: The UK provides support to the US missile defence
programme by allowing both early warning information from the radar at
RAF Fylingdales, and early warning satellite data via a satellite downlink
at RAF Menwith Hill, to be routed into the US missile defence command
and control system. The UK also has a well-established missile defence
technical co-operation programme with the US. NATO: Georgia and Ukraine, House of Lords Oral Question, 13 Nov 2008 : Column 784Baroness Williams of Crosby: My Lords, does the Minister agree that co-operation between the new American Administration and the Government of Russia is crucial if we are to get any forward moves on disarmament and, for that matter, on nuclear proliferation? Given that, does he agree that consultation with Russia on the expansion of NATO might be very important? Although no one could condone the scale of the Russian reaction to the Georgian feint into South Ossetia, the level of responsibility is by no means clear, and perhaps we should consider Russian concerns about encirclement when we proceed further. Lord Malloch-Brown: My Lords, the noble Baroness makes the case
very elegantly. The decision by European Ministers last week reflected
the fact that it was important to restart the dialogue with Russia on
a successor to the European partnership agreement, but also to ensure
that these issues of Russian behaviour towards Georgia, and indeed towards
Ukraine, become part of that dialogue. However, she is correct; the process
is to talk through these issues. Ballistic Missiles, Written Answers, 4 Nov 2008 : Column 301WMark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will undertake research into the merits of a United Kingdom conventional intercontinental ballistic missile programme (a) unilaterally and (b) jointly with the US. Mr. Hutton: We have no such plans. NATO, Written Answers, 3 Nov 2008 : Column 69WMr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects NATO to produce a new strategic concept. Mr. Hutton: We expect work on a new strategic concept to be commissioned
at NATO’s summit meeting in Strasbourg-Kehl next April. RAF Menwith Hill: Security, Written Answers, 3 Nov 2008 : Column 70WColin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid to North Yorkshire Police to cover the cost of the policing of the area around RAF Menwith Hill by armed response teams and the Counter Terrorist Unit in each year from 2001 to 2007. Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence did not pay any monies
to North Yorkshire Police between 2001 and 2007 for the cost of these
units at RAF Menwith Hill. USA: Military Bases, Written Answers, 27 Oct 2008 : Column 642WColin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an operational certificate has been issued by the US administration for the space-based infra-red system at RAF Menwith Hill. Mr. Hutton: RAF Menwith Hill houses a satellite ground terminal
which receives data from the space-based infra-red system (SBIRS) satellites
to be routed to the US for the purposes of both missile early warning
and ballistic missile defence. The use of RAF Menwith Hill as a relay
link for the SBIRS has been agreed between the UK and US Governments.
As both the satellite system and the ground terminal at RAF Menwith Hill
are owned and operated by the US Government, we hold no information on
the operational certification for the SBIRS. Ballistic Missile Defence, Written Answers, 23 Oct 2008 : Column 474WColin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what direct running costs the UK has incurred to date in the use of RAF Menwith Hill and RAF Fylingdales in the US Missile Defence System. Mr. Hutton: Running costs at RAF Menwith Hill and RAF Fylingdales
associated with the US Missile Defence System are not identified separately
from other functions of the station. We do not anticipate the direct running
costs incurred by the UK will increase because of the participation of
these stations in the US ballistic missile defence system. USA: Military Bases, Written Answers, 23 Oct 2008 : Column 478WColin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which bases in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Wales US visiting forces are based. Mr. Bob Ainsworth: US visiting Forces occupy the following bases in England, all designated as RAF bases: Alconbury, Cambridgeshire; Barford St. John, Oxfordshire; Croughton, Northants; Fairford, Gloucestershire; Feltwell, 23 Oct 2008 : Column 479W Norfolk; Lakenheath, Suffolk; Menwith Hill, North Yorkshire; Molesworth,
Cambridgeshire; Upwood, Cambridgeshire; Welford, Berkshire. In addition,
there is a USVF presence at the Joint Maritime Facility at St Mawgan,
Cornwall. There are no USVF bases in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Russia: Missiles, Written Answers, 22 Oct 2008 : Column 390WMr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 October 2008, Official Report, column 607W, on Russia: missiles, what discussions he has had with his (a) European and (b) NATO counterparts on the test-firing by Russia of the RS-12M Topol missile on 27 August 2008; and if he will make a statement. Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with either European or North Atlantic Treaty Organisation counterparts. We discuss missile related issues with Russia in the context of the Hague
Code of Conduct and the missile technology control regime. RAF Menwith Hill: Security, Written Answers, 21 Oct 2008 : Column 193WColin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the Ministry of Defence Police was of the policing of the area around RAF Menwith Hill by the Armed Response Team and the Counter Terrorist Unit in each year from 2001 to 2007. Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding the cost of the Ministry of
Defence police (MDP) deployed at RAF Menwith Hill for the purpose of safeguarding
national security. Russia: Missiles, Written Anwers, 7 Oct 2008 : Column 607WMr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his (a) European and (b) NATO counterparts on the test-firing by Russia of the RS-12M Topol missile on 27th August 2008; and if he will make a statement. Caroline Flint [holding answer 15 September 2008]: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the Russian authorities on this test-firing. We discuss missile-related issues with Russia in the context of the Hague Code of Conduct and the missile technology control regime. Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the Russian authorities on the test firing of the RS-12M Topol missile; and if he will make a statement. Caroline Flint [holding answer 17 September 2008]: My right hon.
Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the Russian authorities
on this test-firing. We discuss missile-related issues with Russia in
the Context of the Hague Code of Conduct and the missile technology control
regime. Ballistic Missile Defence, Written Answers, 6 Oct 2008 : Column 216WJeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Common Caroline Flint [holding answer 17 September 2008]: I refer my
hon. Friend to chapter 4, section 4.68 of the recently published National
Security Strategy which deals with the UK’s response to the current and
emerging security challenges. The UK contributes to ballistic missile
early warning through the facilities at RAF Fylingdales and RAF Menwith
Hill. The cost of the upgrade at RAF Fylingdales—and the work at RAF Menwith
Hill—was funded by the US Government. We do not anticipate the direct
running costs incurred by the UK to increase because of the participation
of these stations in the US ballistic missile defence system. Poland: Ballistic Missile Defence, Written Answers, 15 Sep 2008 : Column 2080WMr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Government's policy is on Poland's hosting of US missile defence facilities and Russia's position on such hosting; and if he will make a statement. Des Browne: The agreement between Poland and the US to establish a ballistic missile defence interceptor site on Polish territory is welcomed. The US ballistic missile defence assets in Europe will provide a limited
defensive capability against a small number of states of concern who are
currently seeking to develop or acquire ballistic missiles with the capability
of striking Europe. Russia is fully aware of the capabilities, and limitations,
of the planned US system, and are aware that their security should not,
and could not, be threatened by it. Back to Proliferation in Parliament, Winter 2008 © 2009 The Acronym Institute. |