Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on the programme to replace the UK nuclear deterrent.

I refer the noble Lord to the statement I made to the House on 20 December 2017, (HLWS371) stating that the sixth report on the progress of the replacement programme was published and placed in the Library of the House. The report 'The United Kingdom's Future Nuclear Deterrent: The Dreadnought Programme, 2017 Update to Parliament' sets out that construction of the first of the new Dreadnought class submarines is under way and the build programme remains on time and within cost.