§ 86. Sir T. Beamishasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the outstanding cost, showing interest separately, of United States arms and military equipment on order on 1st January, 1963, excluding the Polaris programme; what was the outstanding cost, showing interest separately, of orders already placed with the United States of America in connection with the Polaris programme; and what was the value of further orders that it was then agreed would subsequently be placed with the United States of America resulting from the Bahamas Meetings in December, 1962.
§ Mr. HealeyNo reliable figures are available for the cost of United States orders which were outstanding on 1st January, 1963. Items to the value of nearly £20 million have been identified but this figure is unlikely to be exhaustive. No orders had been placed for Polaris on 1st January, 1963, and 317W there was no loan arrangement. The programme envisaged as a result of the Bahamas meeting would, at the prices then current, have cost £200–£250 million in dollars.