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Select committee: International Agreements Committee

Government response to Scrutiny of International Agreements: The AUKUS Naval Nuclear Propulsion Cooperation Agreement

Published 10 January 2025

International Agreements Committee UK-US-Aus Agreement for Cooperation related to Naval Nuclear Propulsion Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to 3rd Report - Scrutiny of International Agreements: The AUKUS Naval Nuclear Propulsion Cooperation Agreement.

This is the government's response, published 10 January 2025.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government says it "wholeheartedly concur[s]" that the agreement is politically important and restates its commitment to delivering the AUKUS submarine capability to Australia.

  • On the committee's noting of progress on Pillar 1, the minister says he "could not agree more" and reiterates the government's "complete commitment" to delivering the SSN capability to Australia through the Optimal Pathway.
  • The response states that nearly £10bn has been committed to the SSN-AUKUS programme and the UK submarine industrial base since September 2021, including £2.4bn over ten years from Australia.
  • On timing, it says negotiations on a bilateral treaty with Australia have commenced, and that a follow-up training course for Australian personnel will be delivered in 2025.
  • On non-proliferation, the government says its commitment "remains steadfast" and that it "will continue to engage openly and transparently" with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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