§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is his Department's estimate of the cost of refitting Trident submarines at Devonport under(a) a privatised company and (b) the current management team; [8982]
(2) when he will sign the contract with Devonport Management Ltd for the refitting of Trident submarines. [8983]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotNegotiations for the design and build of the facilities for refitting Vanguard class and ultimately all nuclear powered submarines at Devonport are proceeding. A decision on contract award is expected in the first part of this year. Parallel negotiations on the sale of both royal dockyards continue. The objective is to put in place the most financially beneficial long term arrangements for all Royal Navy ship refitting work. It would not be appropriate to speculate about details while negotiations are under way.