§ Mr. McFallTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (1) further to paragraph 319 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates", how many warheads the United States Trident D5 missile is assumed to have for counting purposes under the terms of the draft START treaty;
(2) further to paragraph 319 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates", how many warheads the United States Trident D5 missile is assumed to have for counting purposes under the terms of the draft START treaty.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe detailed provisions of the proposed START treaty remain under discussion between the United States and Soviet Union.
§ Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given to an accident during the loading of warheads onto a missile as a credible scenario for detonation of the third stage propellant of the Trident II missile.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe Government are satisfied with the safety of the Trident nuclear missile system. We concur with the assessment of the United States authorities that the detonation of the third stage of the Trident II missile, during the handling of missiles and warheads, is not a credible accident scenario, and that it therefore may properly and safely be disregarded.