§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's estimate of the cost of the two proposed large aircraft carriers separately identifying their(a) running costs and (b) disposal costs. [50391]
§ Mr. George RobertsonAt this early stage in the project, we envisage an acquisition cost for two aircraft carriers of around £2 billion, including combat system and initial support costs but excluding the cost of aircraft. The running costs of future carriers will depend on: the ship design and the number and type of aircraft they will carry, both of which remain to be determined, but which will focus on the need to minimise through-life costs. No consideration has yet been given to the disposal of future carriers given that these vessels are likely to be in-service till around the mid-century.