§ Captain Kerbyasked the Minister of Defence (1) what has been the total cost to date of planning and developing the hydrogen bomb-carrying Blue Streak rocket; and when he intends to take a final decision, on financial grounds, on the future of this proposed independent British deterrent;
(2) whether he has yet obtained permission from the United States Government for Great Britain to be allowed to arm Polaris and Skybolt rockets with British hydrogen bomb warheads, when these United States alternatives to an independent British Blue Streak deterrent are finally made available to Great Britain by the United States of America.
(3) when he expects the United States submarine-launched Polaris and bomber-launched Skybolt rockets to be made freely available to Great Britain, with or without United States hydrogen bomb warheads, in place of an independent British Blue Streak deterrent; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WatkinsonIt would not be in the public interest to disclose the cost to date of developing Blue Streak. For the present, I have nothing to add to the information about the future British contribution to the nuclear deterrent which I gave the House on 29th February during the defence debate. I undertook to report as soon as the Government have reached final conclusions.