§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the money already spent on Trident is with United States companies.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonAbout £300 million.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the Trident budget is allocated to the capital costs of the servicing of Britain's Trident submarines and missiles at Kings Bay, Georgia.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given at column199 on 13 February 1985. At current prices, this amounts to some 1 per cent. of the total United Kingdom Trident budget.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the terms of the cancellation clauses for the Trident project which apply specifically to commitments entered into with United States suppliers; and what is his estimate of the total sum which would be payable to those United States suppliers in the event of cancellation.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe contracts entered into with United States suppliers which cover work for the United Kingdom Trident project provide for the contracting authority to terminate the contract at any time, with payment to the contractor of properly incurred liabilities.
The current contractual commitment in the United States for the United Kingdom Trident project is some £700 million. A lesser sum should be payable in the event of cancellation.