§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the operational role of HMS "Fearless" and HMS "Intrepid"; what is expected to be the cost of the current refit; and what will be used to replace them when they are withdrawn from service.
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§ Mr. GoodhartHMS "Fearless" and HMS "Intrepid" are amphibious assault ships. The estimated cost of the HMS "Fearless" refit is about £15 million. As indicated in Cmnd. 8288 it had already been decided that these ships would not be replaced when paid off. On present plans they will be phased out when their next refits fall due.