HL Deb 21 October 2004 vol 665 c93WA
Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they propose to publish in full the report which they have commissioned from the RAND Corporation on warship building in the United Kingdom; and, if so, when and how they propose to publish this. [HL4429]

Lord Bach

It is the intention of the Ministry of Defence that the report commissioned from the RAND Corporation on domestic capacity for naval ship construction should be published in full. We expect to give RAND the go ahead to publish by the end of the year.

Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress they have made in discussion with the shipbuilding industry about the balance and timing of the warship building programme in the United Kingdom in coming years; and what is the next step that they envisage in such discussions. [HL4430]

Lord Bach

The Ministry of Defence is engaged in ongoing discussions with the shipbuilding industry about the balance and timing of the United Kingdom warship building programme. The next step will be to refine the detail in the coming months as work to develop an industrial strategy for the UK naval shipbuilding industry matures.