§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence with which countries talks have taken place on the sale of UK aircraft carriers. [165392]
§ Mr. IngramThe Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Agency has had no discussions with foreign nations on the disposal of the Navy's current aircraft carriers when they reach the end of their planned in-service life.
§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the construction of the two new aircraft carriers; what the military specifications of the aircraft carriers will be; and if he will make a statement on the contract for construction. [165614]
§ Mr. IngramThe Future Carrier (CVF) programme is currently in its assessment phase and discussions are continuing on the contracting arrangements for the demonstration and manufacture (D&M) of the carriers. As with any new equipment project, the Department has not sought to fix the dimensions of the aircraft carriers during this phase. The design of the ships will continue to evolve as we seek to balance overall performance, time and cost as part of normal assessment phase activity. Ministers are currently considering proposals on the overall CVF programme and on when to proceed to the D&M phases.