Written question asked by Ian Gibson (Labour) on Tuesday, 19 December 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 January 2007. It was answered by Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour) on Tuesday, 9 January 2007 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Nuclear Weapons

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the US Administration on providing submarines for the Trident project.

Answer: As stated at paragraph 6-3 of the White Paper ‘The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent’ (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006,"““It would be our intention to build the new SSBNs [ballistic missile submarines] in the UK, for reasons of national sovereignty, nuclear regulation, operational effectiveness and safety, and maintenance of key skills.””"The outcome of discussions with the US on future co-operation in this area is set out in the exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and President of the United States, published on 19 December 2006. Copies of the letters are available in the Library of the House.

Secondary information