§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Defence when is the expected into-service date of the type-2400 diesel-electric submarines; how many are on order and are likely to be ordered; and what is the individual cost of each submarine.
§ Mr. LeeThe first of class type 2400 submarines, HMS Upholder, ordered in November 1983 is programmed to enter service by 1988. It is not our practice either to provide forecasts of the planned size of classes of new ships or to reveal precise costs of individual submarines. However, the estimated cost of the first of class 2400, including design and development costs, is of the order of £130 million at 1983–84 price levels. We intend to invite competitive tenders for follow-up builds.