§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Defence by what time he estimates that a decision must be made to replace HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid if such replacements are to be available before Fearless and Intrepid come to the end of their anticipated service.
§ Mr. LeeAs I said in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend on 21 February, at column 529, we are currently examining the provision of future amphibious capability including the replacement of HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid once they come to the end of their planned lives in the mid-1990s. Our decision as to whether or not to replace this capability must await the completion of these studies but, if agreed, would mean on present plans that detailed design work would need to start in about mid-1986.