§ Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities are available to defuel, decontaminate and scrap SSBNs and SSNs at the end of their active life.
§ Mr. BlakerStudies are being carried out on the best procedures for taking nuclear powered submarines out of service at the end of their active lives. The extent of the facilities required will depend on these studies, which will be completed well before the first submarine is taken out of service.
§ Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Trident type SSBNs to be available for refit at Rosyth; and what capital investment programme is likely to be necessary for this purpose.
§ Mr. BlakerThe Trident submarines are not due to come into service until the 1990s and therefore precise plans for their refitting have not been formulated. The capital investment associated with the refitting is estimated at about £70 million. This has been included in the Trident budget.