§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total cost of the Trident nuclear programme(a) for each of the past five years and (b) since the programme was first purchased by the United Kingdom. [19232]
Mr. RobertsonThe acquisition cost of Trident in each of the past five years has been as follows:
Financial year £ million 1992–93 993 1993–94 892 1994–95 703 1995–96 403 1996–97 372 These figures are at outturn prices for the relevant year. The total expenditure on procuring Trident up to 336W 30 September 1997 was £8,820 million, also at outturn prices.
The cost of operating Trident has been estimated at £200 million a year over the 30 year lifetime of the system. We are looking at the basis upon which cost estimates have been calculated in the light of operating experience and as part of the wider Strategic Defence Review.