§ Mr. McFallTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to the answer given on 8 December 1987,Official Report, column 142, how many jobs will be lost each year as the facilities progress towards the elimination of Polaris and the installation of Trident;
(2) pursuant to the answer of 8 December 1987, Official Report, column 142, how many jobs he anticipates could be generated by the alternative forms of employment under consideration for workers at RNAD Coulport; and if he will make a statement;
(3) pursuant to the answer on 8 December 1987, Official Report, column 142, what types of alternative employment are actively being considered for those workers who presently service the Polaris missiles at RNAD Coulport and who will be affected by the demanning involved in the changeover to Trident; and what steps have been taken to research the feasibility of these alternative jobs.
§ Mr. SainsburyI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 December at column142. The phasing out of Polaris is currently the subject of detailed planning within MOD. Until this work is completed, it is not possible to be specific about the timing of any resultant job losses at RNAD Coulport. Assessments of how many new jobs are likely to be created at the depot are similarly dependent upon the outcome of this work, which, because of its complexity, will not be concluded for some considerable time. The investigation into any other possible employment will similarly take a considerable time to complete.