HC Deb 22 July 1991 vol 195 cc450-2W
Mr. Douglas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the estimated annual costs of operating each of the Royal Navy bases and the anticipated savings or additional costs arising from the decisions made to rationalise the Royal Navy's support infrastructure.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

The cash allocation for each of the naval bases for the current financial year is:

£ million
Portsmouth 148.1
Devonport 122.9
Faslane 74.8
Rosyth 64.8
Portland 14.8

The savings expected from the naval support rationalisation measures announced by my right hon. Friend on 16 July 1991, Official Report, columns 148–49, amount to approximately £275 million over 10 years.

Mr. Douglas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the numbers and types of vessels which will be based at each of the Royal Navy bases in the light of the decisions made to rationalise the Royal Navy's support infrastructure.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

Vessels are currently base-ported as shown in the following table. On 16 July my right hon. Friend announced our plans to transfer from Rosyth the four Type 42 destroyers and the Northern Ireland squadron—four vessels—to Portsmouth and Faslane respectively. Overall vessel numbers will change as the Royal Navy moves towards the smaller fleet set out in the 1991 Statement on the Defence Estimates.

Portsmouth

  • 6 Diesel/electric submarines (SSKs)
  • 8 Destroyers
  • 7 Frigates
  • 3 Carriers
  • 7 Minor war vessels
    • 451
  • 5 Others

Devonport

  • 9 Nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs)
  • 29 Frigates
  • 6 Others

Faslane

  • 4 Ballistic missile submarines
  • 5 SSN 2 SSK

Rosyth

  • 4 Destroyers
  • 27 Minor war vessels

Mr. Douglas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the numbers of naval and civilian personnel which he anticipates will be employed at each of the Royal Navy bases in the light of decisions made to rationalise the Royal Navy's support infrastructure.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

The numbers of naval and civilian personnel currently at the naval bases are shown in the table. Proposals for the reduction in tasks at Rosyth naval base would entail 1,100 naval personnel transferring to Portsmouth and 100 to Faslane. Nine hundred civilian jobs would also be affected although it is too soon to say how many of these might be transferred to other naval bases. Some redeployment of civilian staff is envisaged in the light of the other restructuring proposals announced on 16 July by my right hon. Friend, but specific numbers have yet to be finalised. As my right hon. Friend made clear in his statement, the MOD will now proceed to rationalise support activities in each of the naval base areas.

Naval base Civilians Naval Personnel1
Portsmouth 5,800 8,500
Devonport 3,850 9,300
Faslane 2,000 3,500
Rosyth 2,100 4,200
Portland 700 500
1 Includes those in shore jobs, on board ships base ported at the Base or crews of ships being refitted there.