§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is satisfied that an ordering rate of two frigates a year will maintain both an adequate surface navy and an adequate capacity to build such ships.
§ Mr. SpeedI can assure my hon. Friend that decisions on the rate of future orders will bear in mind the need to maintain both an adequate navy and an adequate capacity to sustain it.
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the reduction in the number of ships in service, and of what types, as a result of the decision to scrap older ships while slowing down the construction of new; what will be the saving resulting from this policy; and what consultations he has had with NATO Allies concerning this policy.
§ Mr. SpeedOne cruiser and seven frigates, all of them in the standby squadron, which would otherwise have been disposed of over the next few years, are now planned to be sold or scrapped during the coming year. This reduction should, however, be set against the planned introduction into service of new ships. In particular, two ASW carriers, four SSNs, seven destroyers and four frigates are currently under construction and will join the Fleet over the next four years. I cannot provide a breakdown of the financial savings that will arise from this measure as these will depend on whether the ships are sold or scrapped.
I can confirm that our NATO allies have been informed of the decisions announced by my right hon. Friend.