§ Mr. BurnettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence who was responsible for the security of Devonport216W Dockyard on Friday 15 November; if he will make a statement on a breach of security involving Trident nuclear submarines at Devonport Dockyard on 15 November; what consequential action his Department intends to take; what the state of alert was at Devonport on that day; what the state of security of the nuclear submarines was on that day; and what Royal Navy and other personnel were on the vessel on that day. [82278]
§ Mr. IngramThe Naval Base Commander has overall responsibility for security of Devonport Naval Base. Devonport Management Ltd (DML), the owners of Devonport Dockyard and the nuclear licensed site, are responsible for the security of HMS VANGUARD and the refitting/refuelling facility where she is currently undergoing refit. The Naval Base and DML work closely together on security matters.
On the evening of 15 November two anti nuclear protesters gained access to HMS VANGUARD. The submarine, which has no weapons onboard, did not sustain any damage and safety was not compromised. A full inquiry into the incident is being conducted by a team comprising the Head of Security for the Defence Logistics Organisation, a senior MOD Police Officer and a MOD security specialist.
The state of alert at Devonport, and all UK military establishments, on 15 November was "Bikini Black Special". Some additional security measures had also been put in place at Devonport in preparation for an anti nuclear demonstration that was expected to take place during the weekend of 16/17 November. VANGUARD'S security status is classified as 'Non Vital Property'. This reflects that there are no weapons on board and also the extensive work the submarine and her reactor are undergoing during refit. At the time of the incident twelve contractors were working within the submarine and three Royal Navy personnel from the submarine were on duty but not onboard.