§ 1. Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether there has been any change in arrangements for basing United States Poseidon submarines at Holy loch.
§ 7. Mr. Home Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether there has been any change in the arrangement for the basing of the United States Poseidon squadron at Holy loch.
§ The Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mr. John Stanley)No, Sir, but these arrangements are of course kept under review.
§ Mr. SkinnerWill the Minister give an absolute guarantee that none of those Poseidon submarines will be either modified in any way or retro-fitted to carry Trident missiles, and then based at Holy loch or anywhere else in this country? What we want is a guarantee.
§ Mr. StanleyI know of no proposal to do so. If the Americans had any such proposal they would, of course, put it to us.
§ Mr. Home RobertsonDoes the Minister take any account of the fact that the majority of people in Scotland are strongly opposed to the deployment of nuclear weapons in Scotland? Can he give us an undertaking that the British authorities will be consulted if the Americans want to deploy Trident missiles at Holy loch? For that matter, will Parliament be consulted?
§ Mr. StanleyAs the hon. Gentleman will be aware, American ballistic-missile-firing submarines have been based at Holy loch for some 20 years, and the conclusions of the British people on the matter were well expressed in 1979 and 1983.
§ Sir Antony BuckIs not my right hon. Friend's last point a very cogent one? These arrangements have satisfied successive Governments of different colours, and they are to be regarded as satisfactory.
§ Mr. StanleyI am grateful to my hon. and learned Friend for what he has said. I agree with him.
§ Mr. Donald StewartThe American base at Holy loch is in closer proximity to a centre of population than would be permitted under American law for an American base in the United States. Is the Minister happy that that situation should exist in a British sovereign state?
§ Mr. StanleyI assure the right hon. Gentleman that the safety arrangements which apply to the Americans at Holy loch are the same as those which would apply in the United States. Those arrangements have endured well for 20 years.
§ Mr. ViggersIs my right hon. Friend aware that the overwhelming majority of people in this country support the NATO Alliance and the maintenance of adequate defences? Has he observed that of the 22 questions tabled by Labour Members for oral answer today, 19 are designed to cast doubt on our American ally or the adequacy of our nuclear forces? Does this not tell us more about the Labour party than about NATO?
§ Mr. StanleyMy hon. Friend asks a most pertinent question. As I have said before, I am ceaselessly struck and disappointed by the fixation of the Opposition with the weapons of our allies, and their failure to take into account the threat posed by the weapons of the Warsaw pact.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesWill the right hon. Gentleman tell us something about this matter, as he said that it was under review and yet, as I understood him, there are no proposals to install Trident missiles? What on earth is the review about? Why should the Government not start winding up the base as 360 Trident warheads and 160 cruise missiles are coming to Britain? Why do we need Holy loch as well?
§ Mr. StanleyI said that the basing arrangements were under review, as they always are in relation to operational needs. I also made it clear that the American Government have made no proposal to us to base Trident missiles at Holy loch.