§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ton class mine counter measures ships are in service; what is their age; to what extent they are to be replaced by (a) Brecon class ships, (b) a new cheaper mine hunter and (c) new minesweepers for the Royal Naval Reserve; what is the current estimate of the cost of each of these three classes; how many of each class are envisaged; and how many will be ordered during the next five years.
§ Mr. BlakerAs indicated in Cmnd 8288, we intend to continue to build up a balanced mine counter-measures498W force. Twenty-nine Ton class minehunters and sweepers are currently in service with an average age of about 25. They will begin phasing out in the next few years though some may remain in service into the early 1990s. The Hunt class mine counter-measure vessels—MCMV—are now entering service and we are proceeding with plans for a new cheaper minehunter. We also intend to acquire new minesweepers for the RNR. The cost of Hunt class MCMV is about £30 million and that of a new minesweeper is expected to be between £3 million and £4 million. Our plans for the new minehunter are insufficiently advanced to be able to give a useful estimate of their cost. It is not our practice to release details of plans for future ship orders.