§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Defence at what point in the ship's history the Government will disclose the cost of warships such as HMS "Invincible".
§ Mr. DuffyWe are willing to disclose the cost of warships as soon as we can do so without prejudicing contractual negotiations. We cannot, therefore, make estimated costs public before a ship is accepted from the shipbuilder, but it is not usually long after that before a final price is agreed; the cost can then be disclosed publicly.