§ 9. Mr. Duffyasked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to place the first of class order for the type 23 frigate.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement (Mr. John Lee)Negotiations with the lead shipbuilders, Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd., are in progress. We shall make an announcement on the placing of the order as soon as possible.
§ Mr. DuffyGiven the customary year that will elapse before the placing of an order for a second of class, the dire need for new orders in the yards, the needs of the fleet for a modern post-Falklands frigate, and the lack of orders for major surface units over the past two years, are there not now grounds for moving more urgently?
§ Mr. LeeThe hon. Gentleman has always taken a deep and sincere interest in the size of the Navy, and this aspect in particular. We will place orders for the new type 23 at the rate of about three a year, after the initial gap after the placing of the first order. The Government have ordered 30 new ships since 1979. We now have 55 operational destroyers and frigates, and we intend to reduce that number to 50 by the 1990s.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesWhat is the latest estimate of the cost of the type 23 frigate? Is it still Government policy that there shall be no mid-life modernisation of these frigates, which are presumably to be disposable?
§ Mr. LeeWe are talking of about £110 million for a type 23. We hope to get about four type 23s for the cost of three type 22s.
§ Mr. Rhodes JamesIs my hon. Friend aware that the concern expressed by the hon. Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Mr. Duffy) is shared on this side of the House? Will the defence and hitting capability of these ships be an improvement on the present ones?
§ Mr. LeeYes, I know that there is wide concern about the size of our fleet of destroyers and frigates. In terms of weapons, the type 23 will be equipped with towed array sonar, an EH101 or a Sea King with Sting Ray torpedoes, vertical lauch Seawolf and the Harpoon surface-to-surface guided weapon.