§ Q8. Mr. Wiggasked the Prime Minister in concerting defence plans with the United States President at Nassau, what information he was given as to the number of Polaris submarines in service at the present time.
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman very courteously sent me a message to say that his Question referred to my statement in the defence debate on 30th January that the Americans already have about twenty Polaris submarines in service. I find on further inquiry that the latest figures are as follows: nine submarines are deployed, one has been commissioned but not yet deployed, seven 666 more have been launched, twelve more keels have been laid, six more construction contracts have been let and long lead items for six more have been authorised.
I regret it if I inadvertently misled the House in the figure which I gave.
§ Mr. WiggI am much obliged to the right hon. Gentleman for that reply, but is not it rather odd that he got it wrong, for the United States Embassy had published a statement on 3rd January that the "Thomas E. Jefferson" was the tenth to be commissioned and the margin of error in this case is 100 per cent.? Yesterday we had an admission—[Hors. MEMBERS: "Question"]. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that yesterday we had an admission from the Secretary of State for War that the Prime Minister's statement on atomic tactical weapons was also completely wrong? Will the right hon. Gentleman have a look at the sources of information on which he relied when speaking in the defence debate?
§ The Prime MinisterI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman who, as I say, very courteously gave me the information that he wished to raise this point. One tries to have everything checked in the long and rather elaborate speeches which I have to make, and I must frankly say that this figure, which perhaps I gave from memory, was not sufficiently checked. The actual figure is as I have given. There are altogether nine deployed and one commissioned—that is ten; seven have been launched and will be commissioned—that is seventeen; there are twelve more laid—that comes to twenty-nine; there are six more under contracts let and there are long lead items for six more. I think that what I was giving was a general picture that it was a very large programme.
§ Mr. WiggHowever the right hon. Gentleman seeks to disguise it, he told the House that there are twenty Polaris submarines when in fact there are only ten. His sources of information are so bad that perhaps he would seek my help in future.
§ The Prime MinisterSince the hon. Gentleman is always so courteous, I will in future submit my speeches to him for correction.