§ Lord Gardinerasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is true that the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston started development on a nuclear warhead for the Trident ballistic missile in the mid-1970s, and, if so, whether it was done with the knowledge and authority of Parliament or with the knowledge and authority of the Cabinet.
§ Viscount TrenchardThe Atomic Weapons Research Establishment has conducted research and development on nuclear warheads for submarine-launched ballistic missiles since the early 1960s. This has been an envolving programme with elements that will be relevant when the design stage of the Trident warhead programme is reached. However, development of a warhead for the Trident re-entry vehicle specifically did not begin until agreement was reached with the United States Government for the purchase of the Trident system.
House adjourned at twenty-five minutes past nine o'clock.