§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals his Department has received in regard to establishing the Trident refitting facility project—RD 57—at the Rosyth royal dockyard; and when he expects to take a decision on the project.
§ Mr. AitkenThe RD 57 project at Rosyth royal dockyard is designed to accommodate refits to Vanguard class and other nuclear submarines. Work on the project commenced in October 1987. It is now in the preparatory phase for the main design and build phase. Babcock Thorn Ltd., the management company at Rosyth royal dockyard, has recently put forward proposals for reducing the costs of the facility. These proposals will be considered as part of the current review of future requirements for fleet support, decisions on which are expected later this year.