HC Deb 14 October 1968 vol 770 c42W
Dame Joan Vickers

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) in view of the statement in Command Paper No. 3701 that there have been reductions in the planned rate of new construction, if he will give details of the total number of these reductions and the type of ship affected;

(2) if he will give the number of older frigates and destroyers referred to in Command Paper No. 3701 as being phased out earlier; and whether these are being put into reserve, sold or broken up.

Dr. David Owen

It is not the practice to disclose the details of our future plans either for building new warships or for disposing of old ones. I can however say that the reductions in the planned rate of new construction will affect destroyers, frigates and submarines; and that we have no plans to retain additional ships as a war reserve.