HC Deb 28 January 1998 vol 305 cc246-7W
Mrs. Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 January 1998,Official Report, column 480, if he will list the amounts in US dollars and pounds sterling paid to the United States in each of the US fiscal years from 1980 to date in support of the United Kingdom Trident programme; how much he expects to pay, in dollars and sterling, for each of the next five US fiscal years, to support the operations of the United Kingdom Trident programme; and if he will give dollar and sterling figures for each of the amounts cited in his answer; and if he will make a statement. [25487]

Mr. George Robertson

Payments to the United States in respect of the United Kingdom's Trident programme are made in US dollars and are largely made through the US Department of Defense. I am unable to provide a breakdown of payments by US Fiscal Year but cumulative expenditure during UK Financial years to 31 March 1997 through the Department of Defense on Trident was some $3,430 million, broken down as follows:

$000
Prior to 1986–87 174,451
1986–87 51,295
1987–88 144,594
1988–89 229,274
1989–90 249,269
1990–91 270,359
1991–92 341,738
1992–93 418,354
1993–94 649,634
1994–95 432,502
1995–96 213,015
1996–97 255,135
Total 3,429.620

In addition, lesser payments were made directly to US companies under contracts which were in place over a number of years. Such payments, again all in US dollars, amounted to some $194 million to 31 March 1997. Sterling values for the dollar expenditure varied according to exchange rates at the time.

Expenditure in the United States in future years remains subject to Ministerial approval and will be dependent on the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review.

The hon. Member will have noted that a misprint in my answer of 20 January 1998, Official Report, column 480, was corrected on 22 January, Official Report, column 1252. Both sums quoted were in US dollars. Expenditure resulting from these commitments will fall across a number of years so equivalent sterling expenditure will vary dependent upon prevailing exchange rates.