§ 3. Mr. Wallasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a further statement about the present and projected armament of British nuclear submarines.
§ Lord BalnielBritish nuclear-powered submarines, including those fitted with Polaris, continue to be equipped with the Mark 8 anti-ship and the Mark 23 antisubmarine torpedoes. Development of the Mark 24 torpedo continues, and studies are being made of submarine-launched anti-ship missile systems.
§ Mr. WallDoes that reply mean that submarines costing from £20 to £40 million are still armed with weapons developed during the last war, some 30 years ago? Could my hon. Friend speed up not only the development of the Mark 24 torpedo, which has had a chequered history, but also the development of submarine-to-surface missiles which have been in and out of various White Papers in the past five years?
§ Lord BalnielMy hon. Friend has frequently impressed on the House the importance of technically advanced torpedoes. One of the major problems we have found on coming into office in regard to defence equipment has been the slow development in recent years of these very advanced torpedoes, but I must impress upon the House that these submarines with their sonars and weapons system are powerful weapons for military use.
§ Dr. David OwenI am sure the hon. Gentleman will agree that the last Administration made a significant change in the allocation of resources to submarine weaponry. Will he assure the House that the decision to continue with "Ark Royal" and to go for a surface-to-surface missile will not divert funds from this most urgent area of weapon development?
§ Lord BalnielI assure the House that we shall not divert funds from what is crucially important for the defence facilities of the Fleet. I hope that we shall 234 achieve greater success than did the previous Administration.