§ Sir Edward du Cannasked the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the capital and annual operating costs of increasing the size of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary to the point where it would have the capacity to cope with a future conflict on the scale of the Falklands campaign without calling on the services of the Merchant Navy; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. StanleyNo such estimate has been made. The major role of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is to provide operational support for Her Majesty's ships and its current size is tailored to meet the expected number and dispositions of the fleet. It is planned to use merchant ships in an emergency to provide a supply chain where 605W necessary. In relation to other priorities for defence expenditure it is not considered that it would be justifiable at present to invest in RFA ships over and above those needed for normal peacetime operations particularly when merchant ships for our defence requirements are available in an emergency.