§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the present United Kingdom nuclear explosive capability in its nuclear weapons inventory; and what it was in 1970.
§ Mr. AitkenI have been asked to reply.
1970 was a period of transition for the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons inventory, with one generation of weapons being withdrawn and a new generation introduced. We are now in another period of transition, as around half our nuclear free-fall bombs have been withdrawn from the operational inventory and the first Trident submarine will soon enter operational service. It has been the long-standing practice of successive Governments not to give details of operational warheads or yields, but in broad terms, the total explosive power of the United Kingdom's operational nuclear inventory is currently about half of what it was in 1970.
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