To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on the development of a replacement Arming, Fuzing and Firing system for the Trident warhead; and when the system will enter service. (80013)

It is not our practice to comment on the details of UK warhead design. I am withholding the information requested because it relates to national security and defence in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has carried out to verify the integrity of Trident targeting and fire control software created and tested in the US and from which US-eyes only items have been removed. (82406)

Each new release of Trident fire control software is certified by the US Government under the terms of the Polaris Sales Agreement (as amended for Trident). Under the agreement, the UK has the capability to validate the software models for software performance and verify that the findings are correct. This is undertaken and independently verified by UK experts to ensure the software meets our requirements before being issued to Royal Navy submarines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) officer and (b) rating complement is of the Trident fleet (i) at full strength and (ii) currently. (82866)

The Royal Navy Trident Fleet consists of four Vanguard-class Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs).

The full complement of a Vanguard-class submarine in a sea-going role is 160 men, consisting of 19 officers and 141 ratings. Of these, 140 go to sea.

Six crews are provided to man the four boats; a total requirement of 114 officers and 846 ratings. The current trained strength is 110 officers and 840 ratings.

Current policy is to ensure that any submarine is 100 per cent. manned at sea, with priority given to the SSBN force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the training requirements of the Trident fleet crew; and if he will make a statement. (82867)

The Trident fleet consists of four Vanguard-class Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs). Training requirements of the Trident fleet crew are subject to continual review and assessment. This process ensures that training remains up to date, and provides highly capable and well trained personnel onboard Trident submarines.