§ Lord Brougham and Vauxasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to complete the evaluation of bids for the amphibious helicopter carrier.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Viscount Cranborne)I can now announce the results of the competiton for the new helicopter carrier for the Royal Navy. Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd. have won the competition by a very substantial margin of over £50m. They will build the ship in conjunction with Kvaerner Govan on the Clyde. In reaching this decision, we took full account of wider factors such as the future of Swan Hunter Shipbuilders. The final judgment was made on our normal technical and value for money criteria. This order demonstrates the Government's commitment to improving our amphibious capability and will provide our forces with a vessel suitable for a variety of operations. The ship will provide accommodation for helicopters, men, guns, land vehicles and other equipment and a platform from which to mount a helicopter assault. The ship will also significantly improve our ability to provide humanitarian assistance around the world.