asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the number of conventionally armed troops that could be financed by the savings made net of cancellation charges should Trident be abandoned.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, North (Mr. McNamara) on 15 January, at column 98. The savings on future planned expenditure if Trident were cancelled now or in the near future would finance about one additional complete armoured division spread over the next 13 or so years.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the placing of the orders for Trident 2 and Trident 3.

The second Trident submarine, SSBN 06, will be ordered later this year and the others for SSBNs 07 and 08 will be placed progressively thereafter.