DEPLETED URANIUM WEAPONS RENEWAL

That this House notes that the British Army maintains depleted uranium (DU) munitions within its arsenal and that 2.3 tonnes of DU rounds were fired by UK forces during the 1991 and 2003 Iraq conflicts; recognises the potential risk to health and the environment that accompanies the use of these weapons; appreciates the costs and technical difficulties associated with managing sites and material contaminated by their use; further notes that UK radioactive waste discharge policy is based on both the precautionary and polluter pays principles and that international pressure over the use of DU is increasing; further recognises that using munitions that leave a toxic legacy is particularly inappropriate in contemporary peacekeeping and humanitarian operations; is aware that CHARM3, the UK's only remaining operational DU round, is no longer manufactured and that its propellant charges are due to expire in 2013; further notes that the UK has options beyond re-licensing or re-developing the existing charge, or replacing the current ammunition with a new DU round; and calls on the Government to take this opportunity to cease using DU in its kinetic energy ammunition.