§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual cost of the Aldermaston research centre; how many people it employs; what is its current rôle; and what are the plans for its future.
§ Mr. PymThe Atomic Weapons Establishment, which employs some 5,000 staff, designs and develops warheads for strategic and tactical nuclear weapons to maintain the effectiveness of the British nuclear deterrent. The establishment also carries out research and development in non-nuclear fields—such as the use of high-power lasers, and theoretical and practical physics in non-nuclear weapon performance—and contributes to civil nuclear research. As for future plans, the establishment will continue to play an important part in maintaining the effectiveness of the deterrent, including the Trident programme.
It is not the Government's policy to reveal the operating costs of individual Defence R and D establishments.