HC Deb 19 November 2003 vol 413 c969W
Dr. Julian Lewis

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many SSNs would be capable of continuous deployment in cycles based on an SSN fleet of(a) four, (b) five and (c) six such boats. [139595]

Mr. Ingram

The number of Royal Navy attack submarines required to maintain a continuous deployment depends on the nature of the deployment and the operational circumstances pertaining at the time. In the future, the new Astute class will bring improved capability and increased availability for Royal Navy SSN deployments.