Results 1-18 of 18 for trident speaker:James Arbuthnot

Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department: Trident (4 Dec 2006)

James Arbuthnot: The Prime Minister promised us a debate, and I welcome the fact that it will run until March. Will he confirm, however, that the decision was not to replace Trident so much as to replace the Vanguard submarines that are its platform? Will he also confirm, as it was not entirely clear to me, that he was announcing in his statement that the United Kingdom was signing up to the United States'...

Defence in the United Kingdom (17 Nov 2005)

James Arbuthnot: ...for heaven's sake, when is it going to begin? The Committee will play its part in making sure that there is a debate on that matter, but we will need to encourage the MOD to be open, as it was when Trident was first introduced. Perhaps we will need to encourage the MOD to an openness that it has previously resisted, but which would greatly strengthen its hand.

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Defence Contracts (11 Feb 1997)

Mr James Arbuthnot: ...possible price for the taxpayer for the batch 2 Trafalgar submarines, but I draw to the hon. Gentleman's attention the fact that, if it were not for a Conservative Government, we would not have any Trident submarines at all—and we certainly would not have the fourth Trident submarine that we have already ordered.

Defence Estimates: First Day (14 Oct 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: ...he who pays the piper calls the tune. The hon. Member for South Shields did give an astonishing display of candour when he said that there was insufficient interest in the Labour party for the issue of Trident to be debated at the Labour party conference in the past two years—

Defence Estimates: First Day (14 Oct 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: ...are keeping shtoom. Last year, 43 Labour Members signed an amendment to the motion in the defence estimates debate—an amendment calling for a cut in defence budgets and for the removal of Trident. This year, only 20 have done so, but that does not suggest for a moment that the other 23 have changed their minds. They have not changed their minds; and if they have, are we not entitled...

Defence Estimates: First Day (14 Oct 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: ...the Gulf. My Department will respond to the company shortly. My hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. Hargreaves) discussed deployment of the deterrent and the question of the two Trident submarines. Our current deterrent is provided by two Trident boats and by RAF Tornadoes carrying WE177 freefall bombs. We have always planned to have only two boats in service for a...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Procurement Projects (7 May 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: .... If there is delay in acquiring a piece of equipment, it can mean a better piece of equipment, and sometimes one that is cheaper. The greatest example of a UK technological project was the Trident system. The hon. Gentleman may agree, although I suggest that he has a word with some of his colleagues on the Opposition Benches, who might not share his views. The Trident system has been an...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Trident Missiles (7 May 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: So far, the UK has purchased 44 Trident missiles from the United States. No UK missiles are on order, but remaining orders are likely to be placed within the next three years in line with the UK's programme and the US's overall procurement strategy. Some initial financial commitment to that end has been made.

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Trident Missiles (7 May 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: Yes. As is so often the case, my hon. Friend has made a valid point. The Labour party aspires to power, but many Labour Members would like Trident to be abolished. We are faced with questions on Trident with which we would not be faced if Labour had won the last general election, or the one before that, or the one before that—because we would not have a nuclear missile at all.

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Royal Navy (6 Feb 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: The Government continue to maintain and enhance the operational effectiveness of the Royal Navy. Over the past year, the second Trident submarine, HMS Victorious, has entered service, the type 23 frigate HMS Richmond has been accepted and the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean has been launched. In addition, a further seven upgraded Sea Harrier aircraft have been delivered.

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Royal Navy (6 Feb 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: .... Friend. At least our decisions are positive. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said, Labour's decisions on, for example, the TSR2 were all cancellations. Labour would have cancelled Trident. Even the right hon. Member for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair) once said that he would like to ban all nuclear weapons from our soil. We know that Labour cannot be trusted on defence.

Royal Navy (1 Feb 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: ...in 1992 and the ship then went out on three operational patrols. It was later decided that it was no longer needed because of the end of the cold war and because of the significant success of the Trident programme, which is under budget and on time.

Royal Navy (1 Feb 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: ...by the Royal Navy, but I have not so far mentioned its most important responsibility: the maintenance of our strategic deterrent—the ultimate guarantee of our independence and security. The Trident system is one of the most sophisticated and challenging programmes this country has ever undertaken. It has been brought in—after 11 and a half years—on time and under the...

Royal Navy (1 Feb 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: ...is one of 42 Opposition Members who asked us to scrap our entire nuclear deterrent programme. I had the privilege of being on board HMS Victorious to witness her first test firing of an unarmed Trident missile off the east coast of the United States, as part of the submarine's demonstration and shake-down operation. The exercise was incredibly professionally carried out, and the excellent...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Trident (9 Jan 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: The Trident system has been in operational service since December 1994. The phased replacement of Polaris by the Trident system is proceeding to schedule.

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Trident (9 Jan 1996)

Mr James Arbuthnot: We shall certainly conform to the non-proliferation treaty. The hon. Gentleman was one of 42 Opposition Members who last October signed a motion calling for Trident to be scrapped. He comes from the wing of the Labour party that represents the real Labour party, and that means we cannot trust Labour on defence.

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Financial Waste (24 Oct 1995)

Mr James Arbuthnot: ...to ask: where's the beef? The hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Cummings) was one of those who signed the Labour amendment last week calling for huge cuts in defence spending and the scrapping of Trident. He is living proof of the adage that was just stated by my hon. Friend the Minister: one cannot trust Labour on defence. My Department has been at the forefront in cutting out waste. The...

Orders of the Day — Defence (17 Oct 1995)

Mr James Arbuthnot: ...says that we should reduce spending to an average of what the other western European countries spend—in other words, cut spending by one third. We also know that Labour wants to scrap Trident, because the amendment says so. Labour's problem is that the British people are genuinely interested in the defence of this country. The Labour party's policy on defence is to keep it...