§ 2.45 p.m.
§ LORD STRATHCLYDEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have yet decided on the base from which British Polaris submarines will operate.]
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, after careful consideration of all possible sites in the United Kingdom, it has been decided that development of existing submarine operating facilities at Faslane in the Gare Loch offers on balance the greatest advantages. A new armament depôt will be constructed at Coulport on the eastern shore of Loch Long, about eight miles by road and 13 miles by sea from Faslane.
The operating base for the Royal Navy's Polaris submarines needs to be near deep water; to offer easy navigational access; and to be a short distance by sea from the associated armament depôt. All the Royal Dockyards fail in some degree to meet these basic requirements, but Rosyth will, of course, refit Polaris submarines as well as the nuclear hunter/killer submarines.
Survey and similar work will start at Faslane immediately, and the base will be completed by 1968. Provisional estimates at this stage put the cost of 1207 developing the base and armament depôt at between £20 million and £25 million including between £12 million and £15 million for construction work. When the base is finished it is expected that some 1,700 officers and men will be based or stationed there, together with their families. Civilian staff employed at the base and armament depôt will probably number about 400, of whom about half are expected to be recruited locally.
§ LORD STRATHCLYDEMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for the comprehensive nature of his reply, which I am sure will give general satisfaction throughout Scotland, and particularly in the South-West. May I express the hope that when the base is established something will be done to clean up the existing rather untidy condition of the Gare Loch? May I also ask my noble friend whether he can say what employment will be provided during the construction of the base?
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords. to deal with my noble friend's second question first, I may say that between 500 and 1,000 local workpeople will be engaged in constructing the base. With regard to the first part of his question, I do not think that that is my responsibility, and I hope your Lordships will agree with me that the Royal Navy are not usually responsible for leaving a mess anywhere.
§ EARL ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, may I ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether this is not rather an extraordinary procedure to announce dates at this stage? Grave doubts are being expressed in many quarters whether we can be certain that at all stages in the next five years we shall be working up to a full supply of Polaris weapons. We do not know yet whether there is much more security about getting this particular weapon than there was about getting Skybolt. To make an announcement of this kind so long in advance, with an estimated expenditure of £25 million, seems to me to be rather remarkable.
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, I do not think that there is any doubt 1208 whatsoever that the Government are going ahead in building the Polaris submarine—that has been announced. I would put it to the noble Earl the Leader of the Opposition that it is not much good having the submarines if you have not got the submarine base for them. It is no good starting to build the base after you have got the submarines.
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, will this base be available for the Polaris submarines that we are to assign to NATO under the multi-national agreement?
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, those are the same submarines.
§ LORD STRATHCLYDEMy Lords, did I understand my noble friend to say that he anticipated that there was to be permanent employment at the base for about 400 civilians?
§ LORD CARRINGTONYes, my Lords, about 400 civilians, about half of whom would be recruited locally.
§ EARL ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, as we are going so far in regard to information being given in this way, may I ask this: what is the date of the first delivery of a Polaris missile?
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, the first delivery of the Polaris submarine is 1968.
§ EARL ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHI am asking about the missile at the moment.
§ LORD CARRINGTONThe missiles are being timed to fit into the submarine in 1968.
§ EARL ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHYou hope!
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, is it not a fact that there are going to be some Polaris submarines which are not assigned to NATO but are for our other commitments in other parts of the world?
§ LORD CARRINGTONNo; the submarines the Government have decided to build will be assigned to NATO.