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Written question asked by Jeremy Corbyn (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 February 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 11 February 2011. It was answered by Liam Fox (Conservative) on Monday, 28 February 2011 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Nuclear Weapons

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department budgeted for the Trident replacement concept phase at its outset, including on submarine design, propulsion and the common missile compartment; and how much has been spent on that phase to date.
Answer

The 2006 White Paper ““The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent”” (cmd 6994) gave a broad estimate of between £11 billion and £14 billion at 2006-07 prices for a four boat fleet.The forecast cost and relevant approval dates of the elements of the concept phase are shown in the following table.

Date Value (£ million)
Boat and Propulsion Concept work May 2007 309
Common Missile Compartment October 2008 283
United States High Steam Generators and technology April 2009 59
Extension to Concept Phase November 2009 254
Total 905

Figures in the table are given to the nearest million.Of this forecast total, £687 million had been spent to the end of January 2011.The Strategic Defence and Security Review identified a total of £1.2 billion of savings and £2 billion of deferrals within the nuclear programme over the next 10 years. These savings are attributable to submarine production, the nuclear warhead, supporting infrastructure and improved efficiency at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
40541; 524 c82W
Session
2010-12
Related items
Trident Submarines
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Trident
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk