§ Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on his plans for the further modernisation of the Royal Naval Dockyards.
§ Mr. John Morris:The following are the main features of the most far-reaching plans to modernise the dockyards at Devonport and Portsmouth in their history at a total estimated cost of £76 million which we hope to complete by 472W the early 1980s, giving these two dockyards their first facelift of the century.
The Devonport plan is due to be completed before the end of the seventies at an estimated cost of some £43 million, but this figure includes the cost of two major projects already announced, namely, the development of refitting facilities to meet the needs of the growing fleet of nuclear propelled submarines and the provision of a covered dock complex rising to a height of some 150 ft. for the refitting of Leander Class frigates and their successors. This project, on which planning and design work has already begun, will be the first fully covered major refitting facility in the United Kingdom and is expected to be completed in 1974. Other projects due to be completed in the first four years of the programme include the construction of a new combined pipe shop and new workshops for the Fleet Maintenance Base.
The Portsmouth plan is planned to be completed by the early 1980s at an estimated cost of some £33 million. The plan includes the provision of a covered dock complex for the refitting of the new class of Type 42 destroyers the upkeep of which will in future be concentrated at Portsmouth. It also covers the resiting of a number of major dockyard installations and the substitution of modern berthing facilities for certain outdated building slips and small basins which date from the 18th century. The first stage of the programme includes the construction of a new heavy plate shop, a new pipe shop and the replacement of the existing armament storage facilities.
These development projects follow the completion of large-scale modernisation schemes at Rosyth and Chatham for the refit of nuclear submarines on which £12 million have been spent since 1964. The modernised dockyards will be capable of refitting, converting and bringing up to date the various classes of ships which will be serving in the Fleet with a differing emphasis in each yard on certain large classes, namely, frigates, destroyers and submarines.
473WThis extensive modernisation programme will allow the dockyards to cope efficiently with a modern Fleet which apart from Gibraltar Dockyard will be almost entirely supported from the United Kingdom from 1972 onwards.
I am placing detailed plans and a fuller description of the works involved in the Library. The implementation of these plans will provide a very real challenge both for the Ministry of Defence and for the Ministry of Public Building and Works who will be responsible for the actual construction work.