§ Mr. Warrenasked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the change in the price in dollars for those parts of the Trident system to be purchased from the United States of America in each of the years since the contract was signed.
§ Mr. PattieThe dollar element included within the estimate of £8,729 million announced on 13 March 1984 is approximately $6 billion, almost the same figure as allowed for in the original estimate of £7.5 billion for the Trident D5 programme announced in March 1982. United States inflation in the intervening period has been offset by programme changes which have reduced the volume of work forecast to be undertaken in the United States. After allowing for exchange rate variations, the United States content expressed in £ has remained at about 45 per cent.
§ Mr. Wareingasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current estimate of the capital cost of the Trident missile system, taking into account the position of the pound sterling against the United States dollar.
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§ Mr. PattieI have nothing to add to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to the Members for Ogmore (Mr. Powell), Bootle (Mr. Roberts) and Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) on 26 June at columns 790–92.