§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Defence which refits, including Royal Fleet Auxilary vessels, originally earmarked for Rosyth dockyard, have been sent to private firms for refitting since February 1983; to which firms they have been sent; and at what cost to the defence budget.
§ Mr. LeeNo refits of Her Majesty's ships or Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels programmed to be undertaken at Rosyth have been sent to private firms in the period in question. Certain unprogrammed tasks of a lesser order of magnitude, and which in some cases have arisen at short notice, have, when economic capacity has not been available at Rosyth, been undertaken by contractors. The refit of a shock test vehicle which was to have been done commercially has recently been offered to Rosyth. Its capacity to undertake the necessary work is currently being assessed.