§ Mr. EtheringtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the United Kingdom shipyards with the capacity to design and build the two larger aircraft vessels planned for service from 2012 as announced on 8 July. [55278]
§ Mr. SpellarThere are a number of UK Shipyards with the capacity to design and build the two larger aircraft carriers planned to enter service from 2012. These include VSEL at Barrow-in-Furness; Harland and Wolf Belfast; Swan Hunter Tyneside; and the ship construction yard in Birkenhead previously owned by Cammell Laird.
The Procurement Strategy being developed for the acquisition of the carriers envisages a design, build and initial support contract being placed competitively with a prime contractor who need not be a shipbuilder. It is not, therefore, necessarily the case that the shipbuilder will be responsible also for the design of the new carriers.