§ Lord Hill-Nortonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many destroyers and frigates will, in 1990, have been:
- (a) in service for less than 20 years;
- (b) modernised within the previous 10 years;
- (c) placed in reserve.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (Lord Trefgarne)(a) On current plans
1280WAout below, together with the details of staff complements in 1973–76. The following table lists the numbers of applications received and resolved in each financial year since the inception of the scheme.
we expect that more than two-thirds of the destroyers and frigates in the fleet in 1990 will be less than 20 years old.
(b) In accordance with the policy announced in Command 8288, mid-life modernisation of destroyers and frigates is no longer carried out. Improvements to their weapons and equipments are made during refits and as the opportunity arises.
(c) The balance between front line ships and the Standby Squadron will be decided in the light of requirements and resources.