§ Mr. AllasonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given to converting a merchantman into a commando carrier so as to provide a replacement for HMS Hermes.
§ Mr. SainsburyI refer my hon. Friend to my reply of 24 October at column62, to my hon. Friend the Member for 564W Shrewsbury and Atcham (Mr. Conway), which announced the issue of an invitation to tender for an aviation support ship to provide dedicated helicopter lift in support of amphibious operations. Tenderers will be free to offer varying options for meeting the requirement, not just by new design and build. Other options might include new build to an existing but suitably modified merchant ship design, or the conversion of an existing merchant hull.