To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated ongoing in-service costs are of the Trident replacement over its 30 year life span how much is accounted for by (a) facilities and revenue costs at Aldermaston, (b) new missiles required to carry the warheads, (c) Military Defence Police (MDP) costs for guarding (i) Aldermaston, (ii) Burghfield and (iii) Coulport and (d) MDP costs for escorting the convoys; and if he will make a statement. (147835)

As paragraph 5-14 of the White Paper: ‘The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent’ (column 6994) makes clear, in-service costs of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, including the costs of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), will on average be around five to six per cent., of the defence budget once the proposed fleet of replacement SSBNs comes into service. Further information on the costs of replacing the Trident D5 missile and the costs of the AWE are included in paragraphs 5-11 and 5-13 of the White Paper respectively. The future costs of the Ministry of Defence Police for guarding Aldermaston, Burghfield and Coulport and for escorting nuclear convoys, which are included in the in-service cost mentioned above, are expected to be similar to today however, it is too early to provide a precise estimate.