Nuclear-powered Submarines Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Nuclear-powered Submarines

Michael Connarty Excerpts
Monday 18th June 2012

(12 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Hammond of Runnymede Portrait Mr Hammond
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Ultimately at stake are the 6,000 jobs —civilians, military and contractors directly employed in Her Majesty’s naval dockyard of the Clyde and at Coulport. Those jobs would be lost if the submarines were not built and deployed at Faslane.

Michael Connarty Portrait Michael Connarty (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (Lab)
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I am trying to find out how much of this expenditure is in the £3 billion mentioned last year by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), the Minister with responsibility for procurement, and how much is new expenditure. How much will be spent on Trident development and how much on the Astute submarine fleet?

Lord Hammond of Runnymede Portrait Mr Hammond
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The answer is about a quarter. Of the £1.1 billion, £500 million is investment in the capital infrastructure at the Rolls-Royce plant. The remaining £600 million represents the purchase of long-lead items for the production of the core for the reactor for the seventh Astute-class boat and the first successor-class boat.[Official Report, 26 June 2012, Vol. 547, c. 5MC.]