§ Mr. Keith SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sum is allocated to maintaining the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear settlement in the current financial year; and what it is as a percentage of the defence budget. [10157]
§ Dr. Reid[holding answer 25 July 1997]: The United Kingdom's strategic nuclear deterrent is provided by the Royal Navy's Trident fleet. The capital expenditure on Trident for the financial year 1997–98 is expected to be some £285 million, representing around 1 per cent. of the defence budget. No consolidated estimate of running costs is yet available for 1997–98, although we expect the figure to remain at about 1 per cent. of the defence budget, as in previous years.