asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have responded to the suggestion of Mikhail Gorbachev on 8 March that a final decision on maritime nuclear weapons replacements should not be made until after the next review conference of the non-proliferation treaty in 2010. [HL3291]

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, replied to the letter on 10 March.

On 14 March, the House of Commons voted to endorse the Government's plans for the future deterrent as set out in the White Paper The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994), published December 2006.

The timing of these decisions is driven by the expected lives of the Vanguard-class submarines and the estimated time it will take to design and build new boats.