Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 9 December 2015 to Question 19392, how much his Department has spent on studies to support whether to refurbish or replace the existing Trident warhead design to date.

As of the end of the last financial year (March 2017), the Ministry of Defence had spent £100.7 million on studies to inform the decision on whether to refurbish or replace the existing warhead.

This figure consists of £93.7 million on technology studies to support refurbishment of the current system and explore options for a potential future warhead and £7 million on studies to support the decision whether to refurbish or replace the existing warhead.

Studies related to Re-entry Systems Options to determine the best approach to be taken are continuing.