Naval Shipbuilding Orders (Hansard, 17 March 1981)

§ 3. Mr. Stephen Ross
asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish his programme of naval shipbuilding orders for the next financial year.

§ The Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy (Mr. Keith Speed)
It is not the practice to publish future warship ordering plans. At present, the Department holds a number of tenders from interested shipyards for a variety of vessels including a nuclear-powered fleet submarine, type 22 frigates and minesweeping trawlers.

§ Mr. Ross
If it is not the custom to publish figures it is surely important that the naval shipbuilding yards should know what the future building programme is likely to be. Will the Minister tell us whether it is true that the "Invincible" class of aircraft carriers or through-deck cruisers is likely to be delayed further? Can he give us any information on the type 23 frigate that we have been reading about in the newspapers?

§ Mr. Speed
The type 23 frigate procurement process is being accelerated as quickly as possible. The "Invincible" class anti-submarine carriers are not through-deck cruisers. They are not being delayed in any way. "Ark Royal" will be launched by Her Majesty the Queen Mother in June.

§ Mr. Viggers
In view of the importance of the new class of diesel-electric submarine, will the Minister say something about the building programme? When can we expect to see it in service?

§ Mr. Speed
Not yet. Development is going ahead. These vessels are not being delayed. The 2400 class of the new SSK forms an important part of our submarine capability. I hope that within a few months I shall be able to give more details. We are still at the development stage.

§ Mr. George Robertson
Since the Minister is saying that he will not declare in advance the shipbuilding programme for the Navy—although two national newspapers this morning have well-documented accounts of the future ordering programme for the Royal Navy—will he say whether there will be a future fleet submarine ordering programme? Will it be SSN or conventional? Where will the submarines be built?

§ Mr. Speed
There will be SSNs and conventional submarines but I am not responsible for what appears in a speculative form in the national press.

§ Mr. Trotter
Will the Minister explain why it is not our practice to publish details of our future warship building programme, since most of our NATO allies do? Would there not be advantages to the industry and a boost to export orders if future plans were known?

§ Mr. Speed
My hon. Friend has referred in the past to the five-year rolling programme, particularly in respect of the United States Navy. There is something in what he says. Procurement and ordering are presently being looked at by my noble Friend Lord Trenchard. I do not say that I can follow my hon. Friend down that path, but we shall look at it once we have got the procurement process right. I do not think that any of us is happy with the time which the procurement process takes at present, which militates against doing what my hon. Friend wishes us to do.