§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will obtain a copy of the report published by Greenpeace entitled "Bring Polaris Home" for his Department's library;
(2) if he will make a statement on his response to the report by Greenpeace entitled "Bring Polaris Home", a copy of which has been sent to him.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe Ministry of Defence has received a number of copies of the report by Greenpeace entitled "Bring Polaris Home", one of which has been passed to the Department's library. Our resolution class Polaris submarines, like all our other nuclear-powered submarines, have been subject to a programme of inspections, set in hand as a prudent precautionary measure following the discovery of a technical defect in one of the Royal Navy's hunter-killer submarines. As I have indicated to the House before—Official Report, 8 February 1991, columns 264–65, our nuclear submarines operate, and are maintained, in accordance with rigorous safety standards and with the endorsement of the nuclear-powered warships safety committee. The Ministry of Defence attaches the greatest importance to nuclear safety and we would not allow any submarine to go to sea if we considered it unsafe to do so. Our intention remains to keep resolution class submarines in operation until they are replaced by the Vanguard class Trident force.
§ Mr. CryerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the repair and maintenance programme for Polaris nuclear submarines; and whether work is proceeding on developing remedial work on the nuclear reactors which will avoid radiation dosages to workers.
§ Mr. Kenneth CarlisleDetails of the repair and maintenance programme for Polaris nuclear submarines526W are classified. Radiation exposures are authorised only to the extent that they are justified, that they are within departmental and statutory limits, and that they are as low as reasonably practicable. They are kept under continuous review.