Trident D5 Missiles (Hansard, 26 February 1987)

§ Lord Mayhew
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Lord Glenarthur)
My Lords, the actual number of Trident D5 missiles which will be purchased from the United States is classified. The cost of these items amounts to some 12 per cent. of the overall project estimate

§ Lord Mayhew
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that Answer. Will he explain what is now the criterion of the Government for deciding the size of the deterrent? Is it simply the ability to inflict unacceptable damage or is it also related to the increasing size of the Soviet nuclear stockpile?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, essentially, for deterrence to be effective, it must be able to threaten if necessary what a potential enemy values most and inflict on him a level of damage which he would find unacceptable.

§ Lord Thorneycroft
My Lords, will the noble Lord investigate the cost and probable delivery date of the much inferior weapons ordered by the SDP?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, they have not ordered them yet and I do not suppose they ever will be able to. But certainly the point which my noble friend makes is valid: they are inferior.

§ Lord Jenkins of Putney
My Lords, if the noble Lord will be so kind as to take the matter seriously, is it not the case that the consequence of what the Government are about to do is to create in this country an ability to inflict damage which is even greater than that possessed already? Is the noble Lord aware that since we can already destroy the enemy five times over, there is absolutely no point in this waste of money?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, I think that the noble Lord's views are familiar to us all.

§ Lord Jenkins of Putney
My Lords, if I may, I should like an answer. Is there no answer?

§ Lord Gladwyn
My Lords, will the Trident missile be targeted on Soviet towns or on Soviet missiles?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, the noble Lord is well aware that that is not the sort of question that will be answered from this Box.

§ Lord Mellish
My Lords, so that we can get the balance right, is the Minister aware that some of us believe it is essential that Britain should have its own independent nuclear deterrent? All we hope is that Trident will work. May we have an assurance that it does?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Mellish. I can assure the noble Lord that when it arrives it will work.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, does the noble Lord not understand that the question from my noble friend Lord Jenkins of Putney is a matter of the utmost urgency and importance, not only to the people of this country, but to the people of the world? Will he give the House the courtesy of an answer to the question as to whether the Government believe that it is necessary, in order to pursue their policy of deterrence, to be able to obliterate the human race five times rather than once?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, the important point is that through our possessing a credible deterrent there will be no need for the sort of scenario which the noble Lord suggests will arise.

§ Lord Kennet
My Lords, how can the noble Lord assure the House that Trident II will work when it has not yet been tested in the sea-launch mode? Also, have the Government noticed that the Budget Office of the United States Congress is considering depriving the Administration of the entire Trident II programme in view of the 169 billion dollar internal deficit and forcing it to go back to Trident I?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, I am sure that all those who are concerned with the procurement of this weapon system will do their utmost to ensure that it works, and I have no doubt that it will.