§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amount was allocated from the Trident(a) procurement and (b) operating budget towards the cost of the order for Trident-related equipment placed with the United States of America for US fiscal year 1998. [23978]
§ Mr. George RobertsonTrident procurement orders for the UK during US fiscal year 1998, which include the seven missile bodies announced last October, are currently expected to cost up to $157 million over the duration of the various contracts. Orders placed this year by the US in respect of the operation of the UK Trident programme are expected to take the total up to some $260 million, but such costs are in support of the programme at large and are not tied to an individual year's procurement.