To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the total annual cost of the Trident replacement system; and if he will make a statement. (182400)

[holding answer 29 January 2008]: As the December 2006 White Paper, ‘The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent’ (Cm 6994), made clear, we have decided to maintain our nuclear deterrent capability by procuring a new class of submarines to replace the Vanguard-class and by participating in a programme to extend the life of the Trident IID5 missile. We expect that once the new fleet of submarines comes into service the annual in-service costs of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, including the costs of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, will be similar to today (around 5 to 6 per cent. of the defence budget).