§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his oral answer of 11 February,Official Report, columns 125–6, if he will set out the basis of his estimate for the total cost of the nuclear programme; and if he will list for each year the sum in 1997 prices represented by that estimate. [17051]
§ Mr. SoamesThe estimate given by my right hon. Friend was in response to a question about Trident rather than the defence nuclear programme at large. Pursuant to that answer, and in response to the present question, procurement of the Trident system will have absorbed less than 2½ per cent. of defence spending during the years in question. It is still too early to make a detailed assessment of the operating costs of Trident but our best estimate remains some £6 billion over the life of the system.
As to future overall costs of the nuclear programme, I have decided not to disclose these under exemption I to the code of practice on access to Government information, which covers information whose disclosure would harm national security or defence.
118WLetter from John Trewby to Mr. Alan Simpson, dated 24 February 1997:
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the running costs of Royal Naval Armament Depot (RNAD) Coulport and HM Naval Base Clyde as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Naval Bases and Supply Agency.The information requested is as follows, expressed at 1996–97 price levels: