Warships (Hansard, 16 January 2002)

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work has been carried out on HMS Ocean at Devonport Dockyard; if there has been work additional to that set out before its arrival at Devonport; how much the work will cost in total; and if he will make a statement. [26710]

§ Mr. Ingram
Details of the work planned to be undertaken during HMS Ocean's Assisted Maintenance Period (AMP), and the estimated cost, were provided in the answer I gave the hon. Gentleman on 9 November 2001,Official Report, column 433W.
The opportunity has been taken to undertake some limited additional work during the AMP, although some of the work originally planned will now be undertaken during the reprogrammed Docking Period. The total cost of the AMP will remain within the limits previously stated.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects HMS Invincible to be surplus to Royal Navy requirements; and if he will make a statement. [26709]

§ Mr. Ingram
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 December 2001,Official Report, column 342W, to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray).

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on(a) the overhaul of HMS Invincible to prepare her for the new Merlin helicopters and (b) other work on HMS Invincible; and if he will make a statement. [26713]

§ Mr. Ingram
The refit of HMS Invincible is expected to cost in the order of £70 million with approximately £9 million of this required to prepare her for Merlin. These figures excluded Ministry supplied equipment, and associated naval staff training and trials costs.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the work being carried out on HMS Ocean at Devonport Dockyard to be completed; when he expects it to return to service; and if he will make a statement. [26712]
328W

§ Mr. Ingram
HMS Ocean is currently undergoing an Assisted Maintenance Period (AMP) at Devonport. The AMP is scheduled to complete in early February following which she will be available for operational tasks.