To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which proposed new facilities and refurbishment projects at Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston are funded from the £1,050 million allocation announced on 19 July 2005. (79091)

The programme of extra investment at the Atomic Weapons Establishment embraces a range of activity necessary to sustain Trident for its remaining in-service life. Investment will be made in essential accommodation improvements, business communications, infrastructure, laser physics, hydrodynamics, materials science, high performance computing, uranium component manufacture, fissile and special materials handling, explosives handling, and assembly/disassembly. In the absence of the ability to undertake live nuclear testing in the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty era, this investment is necessary to provide assurance that the existing Trident warhead stockpile remains safe and reliable.