Commons debate on safety of Trident nuclear weapons system

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-32908665

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The safety of the Trident nuclear weapons system on the Clyde is set to be debated in the House of Commons.

Former SNP leader Alex Salmond has secured time on Thursday afternoon to question the UK government over issues raised by a Royal naval submariner.

Able seaman William McNeilly, 25, went on the run after alleging Trident was a "disaster waiting to happen".

He later handed himself in to police. The navy said the fleet operates under the most stringent safety regime

Mr Salmond, the newly-elected MP for Gordon, said the Ministry of Defence must provide detailed answers to the allegations.

Incidents included in Mr McNeilly's report, The Secret Nuclear Threat, varied from complaints about food hygiene to failures in testing whether missiles could safely be launched or not.

He described security passes and bags going unchecked at the Faslane submarine base on the Clyde, alarms being muted "to avoid listening" to them, and stories of fires starting in missile compartments.

Mr McNeilly said he raised these and other concerns through the chain of command on multiple occasions, but that "not once did someone even attempt to make a change".

An official investigation was launched after Mr McNeilly, from Belfast, posted his internet report.