§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Royal Naval units are deployed in the protection of(a) UK oilfields and (b) UK fishing grounds. [91231]
§ Mr. IngramThe Royal Navy does not allocate units specifically for the protection of British oilfields. However, RN ships, including those on fishery protection duties, conduct many routine operations and exercises around the United Kingdom throughout the year and any of these ships could be diverted if required to meet a specific requirement. In addition, the fleet ready escort, a frigate or destroyer continuously available at a high state of readiness, is at short notice to respond to any incident in UK waters.
The RN currently has seven ships allocated to the fishery protection squadron. These ships are deployed in accordance with Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs requirements and conduct fishery patrols throughout British fishery limits, excluding Scottish waters which are covered by the Scottish Fishery Protection Agency. HMS Lindisfarne, Guernsey and Atherstone are currently on patrol.