§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their current estimate of the annual operational cost of (a) HMS "Invincible" and (b) HMS "Illustrious". [HL719]
137WA
§ Lord BachFor 2005–06, the estimated annual operation costs of HMS "Invincible" are £61.9 million and HMS "Illustrious" are £87.2 million.
These figures include the costs of contractor support periods.
The significant variation between these two figures reflects the differing levels of depreciation on refit expenditure and that HMS "Invincible" will move into a lower state of readiness during 2005–06.