Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings have taken place between UK and US officials on the research and development of new nuclear weapons, with particular reference to the reliable replacement warhead.

Des Browne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Davies) on 12 September 2007, Official Report, column 2074W. This explained that there is no programme to develop a new UK nuclear warhead but referred to the work currently being undertaken to inform decisions, likely to be taken in the next Parliament, on whether and how we may need to refurbish or replace our current warhead. Some of this work is being undertaken with the United States under the 1958 UK-US Agreement for Co-operation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence purposes and includes reference to the proposed US Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW). The UK remains committed to the principle that any future warhead developments are undertaken on a national basis. The RRW remains a US-only programme.