§ Mr. Wilkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will estimate the saving in cost of procuring four Ohio class Trident nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines from the United States instead of building in the United Kingdom four Trident nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines of a new class, as presently planned;
(2) if he will estimate the saving in cost of procuring three 16-tube Ohio class Trident nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines from the United States instead of building in the United Kingdom four 12-tube Trident nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, as presently planned;
800W(3) if he will estimate the financial saving in the procurement of three Ohio class 16-tube Trident nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines built under licence in the United Kingdom as against building in the United Kindom the four 12-tube Trident nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines which are presently planned; and if he will consult the Electric Boat Company of the United States about such a proposal.
§ Mr. PattieNo. We are firmly committed to building our own force of four 16-tube Trident submarines—three would not be adequate to a continuous deterrent—and it would not be appropriate to speculate on the cost of alternative procurement options.