HC Deb 14 July 1987 vol 119 cc967-8
Mr. Brandon-Bravo

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the ordering of a second Trident submarine.

Mr. Sainsbury

We plan to place the order for the second Trident submarine shortly.

Mr. Brandon-Bravo

Will my hon. Friend confirm that this second submarine, and subsequent submarines, will be at a lower price than the initial purchase? Can he add further to the comments of our right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, who, in answer to the first question, spoke about the creation of jobs in Scotland? Is there not also a case for illustrating the enormous impact on employment that that will have elsewhere in the United Kingdom? Can he comment further on the cost of this programme relative to the dollar, because for many months the strong pound appears to have been making the Trident programme cheaper and cheaper?

Mr. Sainsbury

Yes, we would expect the unit priced of follow-on submarines to be lower than that for the SSBN-05. The direct job creation effect of the second Trident order will be about 7,000 jobs, which will be concentrated mainly in the north of England, and, as my right hon. Friend said, in Scotland. Only a minority of the total cost reflects the purchase in dollars. Clearly, the stronger the pound against the dollar, the lower the cost in terms of sterling.

Mr. Duffy

Instead of proceeding with this order, would it not be better to equip the lead ship of the type 23 frigate programme with a close-in weapon system, as was confirmed in the press last week? Is not this cheeseparing policy the result of irreconcilable objectives rather than supreme confidence in the effectiveness of the Sea Wolf anti-missile system?

Mr. Sainsbury

The hon. Gentleman should recognise that the policies of one-sided nuclear disarmament that he and his party advocate have been decisively rejected. Therefore, there is no question of cancelling the second order for Trident.

Mr. Franks

Is my hon. Friend aware that the parliamentary constituency of Barrow and Furness was the 326th seat to be won by the Government in the recent election? Is that not a tribute to the workers in the shipyards as well as to the Government's policy of maintaining the nuclear deterrent? If, as I understand, the negotiations for Trident 2 have been concluded, will my hon. Friend ensure that the order is placed speedily, without any further delay?

Mr. Sainsbury

The fact that Barrow and Furness was the 326th Conservative victory was also a tribute to my hon. Friend's energetic work on behalf of his constituents. He will appreciate that such a major order takes time, but we shall certainly place the order as soon as we can.

Mr. O'Neill

As the Minister has not returned to the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe, (Mr. Duffy), will he concede that it is disgraceful that our most modern frigate is leaving the docks in a condition that would render it vulnerable if it had to do any service in the Gulf? Does he not agree that our men are entitled to better protection than that which

Mr. Sainsbury

The hon. Gentleman should appreciate that the prime anti-air attack protection for the frigate is from the vertical launch Sea Wolf system, which is extremely effective. Additional protection, provided by another close-in system, which would add to the cost and the weight of the frigate, would add only little, if any, additional protection from an air attack.