Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of shipbuilding jobs in Britain that will be secured by the procurement of floating docks under Programme EUSTON.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
With design work already underway, the Department intends to place a contract for the manufacture of the floating docks following production of the technical specification and upon completion of a procurement process.
While not formally under the scope of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the analogous shipbuilding sector is well placed to participate in an upcoming procurement for the floating docks. As such, the National Shipbuilding Office has been consulted as part of the next investment decision point. Until the outcome of that next investment decision point is known, it is too early to provide information on job creation.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they considered the National Shipbuilding Strategy in awarding the contract for the construction of floating docks under Programme EUSTON.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
With design work already underway, the Department intends to place a contract for the manufacture of the floating docks following production of the technical specification and upon completion of a procurement process.
While not formally under the scope of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the analogous shipbuilding sector is well placed to participate in an upcoming procurement for the floating docks. As such, the National Shipbuilding Office has been consulted as part of the next investment decision point. Until the outcome of that next investment decision point is known, it is too early to provide information on job creation.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the National Shipbuilding Office regarding the procurement of floating docks under Programme EUSTON.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
With design work already underway, the Department intends to place a contract for the manufacture of the floating docks following production of the technical specification and upon completion of a procurement process.
While not formally under the scope of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the analogous shipbuilding sector is well placed to participate in an upcoming procurement for the floating docks. As such, the National Shipbuilding Office has been consulted as part of the next investment decision point. Until the outcome of that next investment decision point is known, it is too early to provide information on job creation.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will award contracts under Programme EUSTON.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
With design work already underway, the Department intends to place a contract for the manufacture of the floating docks following production of the technical specification and upon completion of a procurement process.
While not formally under the scope of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the analogous shipbuilding sector is well placed to participate in an upcoming procurement for the floating docks. As such, the National Shipbuilding Office has been consulted as part of the next investment decision point. Until the outcome of that next investment decision point is known, it is too early to provide information on job creation.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with Serco prior to awarding the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts about the ability of UK shipyards to build the vessels required under the contract.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Prior to awarding the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services contract in April 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) conducted several rounds of market engagement activities to encourage participation from across the UK shipbuilding sector, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The intention was to maximise domestic involvement.
Despite these efforts, only a single compliant bid was received, necessitating a single-source approach to maintain programme momentum and ensure continuity of essential services. Serco was free to select its subcontractors, and the MOD was not permitted to require Serco to discriminate on grounds of nationality. The selection of Damen was based on Serco’s assessment of programme requirements and was consistent with all applicable procurement regulations. Damen Shipyards Group was selected by Serco.
The Procurement Act, which came into force in February 2025, offers greater flexibility to prioritise British companies in strategically important sectors such as shipbuilding.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government which minister in the Ministry of Defence has responsibility for the National Shipbuilding Office, and how many times they have met in the past six months.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry oversees the work of the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) in the Ministry of Defence. The NSO also works closely with Ministers and their officials in all Departments with interests in shipbuilding.
The National Shipbuilding Office's senior leadership has attended several meetings in the past six months with either the current Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry or his predecessor as Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry. The team continues to engage with the Minister formally and informally on an ongoing basis, including through his chairing of the Small Ministerial Group on Shipbuilding.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with the National Shipbuilding Office about the requirements of the vessels needed as part of the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Marine Services Next Generation (DMS-NG) programme did engage with the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) on the requirements of the vessels. The NSO’s recommendations were considered by the Ministry of Defence alongside other criteria. The Government is committed to supporting British industry in the future and programme teams will continue to engage the NSO.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what contracts they have made with Serco under the heading “Defence Marine Services - Next Generation”, and what is the value of each of those contracts.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The following contracts were awarded to Serco under the Defence Marine Services - Next Generation (DMS – NG) programme. All have start dates of 1 October 2025. Each contract was advertised and sourced via competitive tender, although Serco was the only tenderer for the In-Port Marine Services contract (inclusive of the Vessel Replacement Programme):
In-Port Marine Services and the Delivery of a Vessel Replacement Programme (10 years) | £878 million |
Inshore Support to Military Training, Testing and Evaluation (5 years) | £62 million |
Offshore Support to Military Training and Exercises (10 years) | £94 million |
Note: These are contract costs at time of award and do not include Authority Costs and Risk.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision to award the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts to Serco on UK shipbuilding jobs.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of supporting UK shipbuilding and undertook market engagement to encourage bids from UK shipyards for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation (DMS-NG) contracts. Despite these efforts, only one compliant bid was received, and Serco, as the prime contractor, was free to select its subcontractors.
The Government remains committed to supporting UK shipbuilding, and recent reforms to public procurement, including the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force in February 2025, provide greater flexibility to prioritise British companies in strategically important sectors. The MOD continues to work with the National Shipbuilding Office to maximise opportunities for UK suppliers in future procurements.
The operational necessity of the DMS-NG contracts and the need to maintain critical maritime capabilities were key considerations in the procurement process, as was programme affordability at the time. However, some £200 million will still be spent through DMS-NG at British boatyards for the maintenance of the new vessels, which will bring benefits to the UK ship repair sector.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many contracts the Ministry of Defence has with Damen either directly or through contracts with third parties, and what is the value of those contracts.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has no direct contracts with Damen. We have identified one contract through a third party, Serco, for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In Port Services Contract which encompasses the Vessel Replacement Programme. Damen Shipyards is a subcontractor for this programme with the value of this subcontract representing approximately £200 million, 22% of the total In-Port Services contract value. The decision to award the contract to Damen Shipyards Group was made by Serco.