§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when and where the first two Type 45 destroyers will commence construction; and what will be their in-service dates. [122465]
§ Dr. MoonieThis is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Robert Walmsley to Mr. Robert Key, dated 19 May 2000:
I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the first two Type 45 destroyers. This matter falls to me to answer within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.As you are aware, the contract to complete Preparation for Demonstration (PFD) for the Type 45 was placed with Marconi Electronic System (MES, now BAE SYSTEMS) on 23 November 1999. BAE SYSTEMS was also appointed as the Prime Contractor for the Type 45 Programme. We are keen to ensure that we retain our ability to conduct effective competition for follow-on Type 45 destroyers. To this end, both BAE SYSTEMS Marine (YSL) Ltd and Vosper Thornycroft are involved in the PFD contract so that, from the outset, we have a design that has evolved with the active participation of both yards, enabling the efficient construction of Type 45s at either yard.It is currently planned to place the Demonstration and First-of-Class Manufacture (DFM) contract with the Prime Contractor later this year, to meet an in-service date for the first-of-class ship of 2007. The detailed contractual arrangements for the DFM contract remain under consideration with the Prime Contractor hut out plans are that the first of class is assembled and launched at the BAE SYSTEMS Marine (YSL) yard on the Clyde. The timing of the contract for the second ship of the class and where it will be built are still under consideration but value for money will be the key factor.