§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give in current and constant prices the annual expenditure on Polaris from 1963 to the latest year for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Butler[pursuant to his reply, 21 June 1985, c. 247]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement to the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington (Mr. Boyes) on 1 March 1985 at column 301, which gave estimates of the capital costs of the Polaris, Chevaline and Polaris remotoring programmes at 1984–85 prices. Annual expenditure figures for these programmes are not available in the form requested. However, I would refer the hon. Gentleman to successive statements on the defence Estimates which have indicated the overall levels of expenditure on the strategic nuclear forces.