Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regulations, guidelines or criteria have been used to assess the safety of the proposed shiplift facility at Faslane; and in what circumstances he envisages the shiplift being used during the trials of the Trident submarines.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe shiplift at the Clyde submarine base, Faslane is being designed and built to stringent nuclear safety standards, comparable with those in the civil nuclear power industry. The facility will not be approved for use until its safety has been independently assessed. There is no planned usage of the shiplift during submarines' sea trials, but should a defect occur which requires a submarine to be docked, then the shiplift would be one possible option to meet this contingency.
Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he anticipates that the construction of the shiplift at Faslane will be completed(a) on schedule and (b) without cost increases.
120W
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe shiplift at the Clyde submarine base, Faslane is expected to be ready within the timescale required for Trident and other submarine programmes. It is not our policy to discuss estimated costs of individual projects but there has been some increase because of the need to meet stringent nuclear safety requirements.
Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any changes to the contract with Cementation Construction Ltd. for the construction of the shiplift at Faslane have been negotiated since the signing of the original contract.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe contractual arrangements with the main contractor for the shiplift are commercially confidential.