HMS Warspite and Churchill (Hansard, 15 November 1990)

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much of the expenditure on the refitting of HMS Warspite was incurred after the discovery of a fault in its reactor;
(2) what is the total cost to date of the refitting of HMS Warspite.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amount of money has been spent to date on the refit of(a) HMS Warspite and (b) HMS Churchill.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
The cost of the refits on HMS Warspite and HMS Churchill is still being negotiated with the contractors. Such costs are in any case commercially confidential.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the factors which led to the decision to scrap HMS Warspite.
196W

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what influence the "Options for Change" study has had on the decision to decommission HMS Warspite.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence's announcement on 25 July at column 470 envisaged a reduction in the submarine fleet to around 16 boats, about three quarters of which would be nuclear-powered. This reduction in force levels is to be achieved by decommissioning older, less capable boats, such as HMS Warspite, while retaining the more modern ones in service.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many submarines in service and of what class have the same type of reactor as HMS Warspite.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
It is not our practice to comment on matters relating to the design of nuclear-powered submarines.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the date of commencement of the refitting of HMS Warspite.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the date on which(a) HMS Warspite and (b) HMS Churchill started their refit programmes.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
The refit of HMS Warspite commenced in 1988 and that of HMS Churchill in 1989.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the fault was discovered in the reactor of HMS Warspite.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what faults have been discovered in the course of the refit of HMS Warspite with the submarine's nuclear reactor and its associated systems.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
It is not our practice to comment on specific events or features relating to the refits of the Royal Navy's nuclear-powered submarines or on matters relating to nuclear submarine design.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what part the reactor fault played in the decision to scrap HMS Warspite.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what influence technical defects discovered in the course of the refit of HMS Warspite has had on the decision to decommission the submarine.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
A range of factors were taken into account before deciding which submarines to decommission to achieve the lower force level of about 16 boats, including age, capability, material state and cost of maintenance and operation. All of these factors are relevant in the case of HMS Warspite.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to ascertain whether any other submarines in service have similar reactor faults to that found in HMS Warspite.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
A programme of inspections of all the Royal Navy's in-service nuclear-powered submarines is in progress following the discovery of a 197W technical defect in one of the submarines during refit. It is not our practice to comment on specific aspects of nuclear-powered submarines.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the date on which a decision was taken to scrap HMS Warspite.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
The decision to reduce the submarine force level to around 16 was announced to the House on 25 July at column 471. The consequential decision to decommission HMS Warspite was taken in early September this year.

Mr. O'Neill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes to the maritime threat to the United Kingdom have occurred in the last two years; and what effect these changes have had on the decision to decommission HMS Warspite.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, on 25 July at column 470, which outlined the major changes which are taking place in the international scene.
Against that background, we aim to maintain the force levels envisaged in that statement with the more modern and capable assets in service or under construction; older platforms, such as HMS Warspite, are therefore being decommissioned.