§ Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when the UK will next participate in a sub-critical test in the United States; and to what use the data collected will be put; [118404]
(2) whether the Government is making preparations for participation in a sub-critical nuclear test experiment at the Nevada test site. [119079]
1116W
§ Dr. MoonieExperiments of this kind are required for the purposes I explained in my answer of 12 February 2002,Official Report, column 166W, to the hon. Member for Cleethorpes (Ms Mclsaac). The Government attaches great importance to maintaining the safety and serviceability of the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons. The Strategic Defence Review in 1998 confirmed the need for a robust capability to underwrite the safety and reliability of Trident, in the absence of nuclear testing. Sub-critical experiments do not produce nuclear yield and are fully consistent with our obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. A review of the science behind this programme, which describes the need for the data from sub-critical experiments, was published in Nature in February 2002. The timing of any future experiment in the United States is under consideration.