§ Dame Irene Wardasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will arrange for an increase in the number of naval vessels to be built in the near future.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourI have nothing to add to the remarks on the future ship-ordering programme made by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy during the Royal Navy debate on 10th April.—[Vol. 835, c. 865.]
§ Dame Irene Wardasked the Minister of State for Defence on what basis naval orders are placed in United Kingdom shipyards; whether tenders were invited for the total placings; and whether any special financial help was included to enable the tenders to be allocated on the basis of previous practice of the lowest tender obtaining the contract.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourNaval orders are generally placed on the basis of the most advantageous tender, taking all factors, including price, into account. For the recent accelerated shipbuilding programme, orders were confined to development and intermediate areas. Nevertheless most of the orders were placed on the basis of earlier competitions, specially updated. No special financial help was given to any firm to enable it to benefit from that ordering programme.