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| Trident safety concerns 'not been proved', says defence secretary | Trident safety concerns 'not been proved', says defence secretary |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The UK's Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said a whistleblower's concerns about Trident nuclear submarine safety have not been proved. | The UK's Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said a whistleblower's concerns about Trident nuclear submarine safety have not been proved. |
| He said William McNeilly's allegations were either factually incorrect or the result of misunderstanding or partial understanding. | He said William McNeilly's allegations were either factually incorrect or the result of misunderstanding or partial understanding. |
| The Royal Navy submariner claimed the missile system on the Clyde was a "disaster waiting to happen". | |
| He wrote a report, detailing "serious security and safety breaches". | He wrote a report, detailing "serious security and safety breaches". |
| In a statement addressing the 25-year-old able seaman's concerns, Mr Fallon insisted that neither the "operational effectiveness" of the fleet "nor the safety of our submariners or public have been compromised". | |
| Able Seaman McNeilly, who is from Belfast, went on the run after making his claims earlier this month. | Able Seaman McNeilly, who is from Belfast, went on the run after making his claims earlier this month. |
| He was later "apprehended" by Royal Navy Police at Edinburgh Airport and was held at a military establishment in Scotland. | He was later "apprehended" by Royal Navy Police at Edinburgh Airport and was held at a military establishment in Scotland. |
| An official investigation was launched into the safety concerns he had raised. | An official investigation was launched into the safety concerns he had raised. |
| Mr McNeilly is an engineering technician submariner who said he had been on patrol with HMS Victorious earlier this year. | |
| 'Factually incorrect' | |
| Mr Fallon's statement said: "I can assure the House that neither the operational effectiveness of our Continuous at Sea Deterrent nor the safety of our submariners or members of the public have been compromised. | |
| "Able Seaman McNeilly published his comments following his first submarine deployment. He was under training, and his access and exposure to activities and material on board were appropriate to his security clearance. | |
| "We have found no evidence that he raised any concerns with colleagues on board or with the chain of command: had he done so, the more senior and experienced submariners would have been able to explain how the boat operated and why McNeilly's concerns were unfounded. | |
| "A number of the issues he raised did not occur during his patrol. | |
| "Most of McNeilly's concerns proved to be either factually incorrect or the result of mis- or partial understanding; some drew on historic, previously known, events none of which had compromised our deterrent capability and, where appropriate, from which lessons had been learned to develop our procedures as part of a continuous improvement programme." | |
| The minister conceded that one allegations remained to be "fully examined" and it was in regard to allegations that e-cigarettes were being used within the submarine. | |
| Mr Fallon's statement came ahead of an SNP-sponsored debate in the House of Commons on the safety of Trident nuclear weapons. |