§ Mr. Peter Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total cost of the refit of HMS "Fife" at the Portsmouth dockyard; and how this compares with the original estimate.
§ Mr. BlakerThe estimated forecast of outturn at current prices of the total production cost of HMS "Fife's" major refit is £57 million. This is some £8 million in excess of the pre-refit estimate: most of the increase in cost is due to the effects of inflation and the disruption occasioned by the 1981 non-industrial staff dispute.