asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the costs and penalties involved in any cancellation of Trident; how these can be offset against savings; and if he will make a statement.

In the event of cancellation the costs payable would reflect contractors' properly incurred liabilities at termination. (These costs should be less than the total amount committed, which currently stands at about £3 billion).As Trident will provide the United Kingdom with much the most cost-effective minimum deterrent to succeed Polaris, the risks to our security involved in its cancellation would be very grave indeed.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from British industry and trade unions about the role of Trident within the United Kingdom economy.

None.