§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what repair work needed to be done to HMS Bridport in the 12 months before she was withdrawn from service; [150866]
(2) what his assessment is of the cost of bringing HMS Bridport into operational service. [150867]
§ Mr. IngramI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) on 20 January 2003,Official Report, column 72W. During the 12 months before HMS Bridport was placed in extended readiness, no specific repair work needed to be done other than the routine maintenance and periodic safety related tasks which are necessary to enable RN ships to fulfil Fleet tasking. Should the decision be taken to return HMS Bridport to operational service, the cost of regeneration would depend on her material state and the plans for her future tasking at that time. Bridport was to have undergone a refit in 2002. However, in view of the decision to hold her in extended readiness, this work was not undertaken. Therefore, to regenerate her would require, as a minimum, an extended refit.