Written question asked by Tessa Munt (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 9 September 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 September 2010. It was answered by Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 16 September 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Trident

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish studies undertaken by his Department on the potential savings associated with taking Trident submarines off continuous at-sea deterrent patrols, in advance of the publication of the value for money review of Trident; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Trident Value for Money review covers value for money, not policy. Against that background, implementing continuous at sea deterrence has always been a matter of acceptable operational risk. The review will test the balance between these risks and the cost of maintaining a continuous at sea deterrence posture.The review will be considered by the National Security Council. The Council's conclusions will inform the Strategic Defence and Security Review and the comprehensive spending review, which will be published in the autumn.

Secondary information