§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will(a) assess and (b) certify the seaworthiness of decommissioned submarines prior to offering them for sale. [83961]
§ Dr. MoonieIt is our policy that decommissioned nuclear submarines are not offered for sale. The four conventional Upholder Class submarines were taken out of active service with the Royal Navy in 1994, but were not decommissioned. The submarines were subsequently placed under a Custody, Care and 11W Maintenance contract, which is now managed by BAE Systems, until agreement was reached with Canada in July 1998 for the lease with option to buy the four boats.
In January 1999 a contract was signed between the DPA and now BAE Systems for the reactivation (refurbishment) of the submarines to a standard and to a level of safety acceptable to the Royal Navy. This included MOD safety certification with a safe to dive certificate for a period of not less than three and a half years for each boat.