HC Deb 23 June 1986 vol 100 cc29-30W
Mr. Michael Brown

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if it remains Her Majesty's Government's policy to submit submarine refits to competitive tender;

(2) if the refit of HMS Opossum will be put out to competitive tender.

Mr. Lee

I shall answer shortly.

Mr. Michael Brown

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what estimates he makes of the potential additional savings that would arise from removing from the royal dockyards core work and submitting this work to competitive tender.

Mr. Lee

The introduction of commercial management to the royal dockyards will, of itself, introduce competitive pressures into the pricing of all dockyard work. Our current programme reflects the requirement, amongst other factors, to maintain a strategic capacity in the royal dockyards for reasons of national security. No estimate is, therefore, available of the potential cost or savings of putting the whole of the core programme to competitive tendering.

Mr. Michael Brown

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the refit of the royal yacht Britannia will be submitted for competitive tender.

Mr. Lee

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Drake (Miss Fookes).