§ Mr. Quentin DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement about the future of the contract to be placed with Harland and Wolff for the construction of two roll-on roll-off ferries to provide strategic sea lift capability for the armed forces; [157725]
(2) if he will make a statement on the progress of the programme to secure guaranteed access to roll-on roll-off ferries to provide strategic sea lift capability for the armed forces. [157726]
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§ Mr. Hoon[holding answer 24 April 2001]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 March 2001, Official Report, column 359W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore). The commercial shipbuilding contracts for the two ships to be built by Harland and Wolff have been taken over by the Ministry of Defence. These contracts will be managed on our behalf by AWSR Shipping Ltd.
Negotiations on the Private Finance Initiative contract for the full Strategic Sea-lift service are proceeding and we expect to place a contract shortly. As a result of the adoption of a parallel build programme in two yards, it is planned that the full Strategic Sea-lift capability will be available by 2003, some two years ahead of the planned in-service date. Until then, a provisional service is being managed by MOD, providing an enhanced level of sealift compared to that previously available.