§ Jeremy CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the joint UK/US Los Alamos National Laboratory underground sub-critical nuclear test which took place at Nevada on 14 February; and if he will give an undertaking that the information gathered from the test will not be used to design a replacement for existing Trident warheads. [40649]
§ Dr. MoonieI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 12 February 2002,Official Report columns 165–66W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac). The purpose of this experiment was to help us to ensure that UK nuclear weapons remain safe and reliable. No new warhead system is being designed by the UK and the experiment was entirely consistent with our obligations under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.