The Earl of SELKIRKasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Chapter 3, paragraph 7(c) of the Defence White Paper 1976 taken with paragraph 304(c) of the Defence White Paper 1977 means that two or four Type 42 destroyers will be ordered in the calendar years 1976 and 1977.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMTwo Type 42 destroyers have been ordered since the publication of the 1976 Defence White Paper. Two ships of this class were ordered in calendar year 1976 and one in March of this year. I am not yet in a position to say when we shall be placing the order for the tenth ship of this class.