Royal Navy: Harpoon Anti-ship Missiles

Debate between Lord Watts and Earl Howe

Wednesday 23rd November 2016 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

I am grateful to my noble friend. It is important to understand the larger picture, as I alluded to a minute ago. For the first time in many decades, the Royal Navy is growing in both size and capability. Its judgment was that investing in the carriers, the Type 26 Global Combat Ship, the new submarines and the offshore patrol vessels, as well a range of missiles and capabilities, rather than reinvesting in a 1980s weapons system, represented the right order of priority for the Royal Navy’s overall capability. That firmly remains its judgment.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, will the Minister set out which of the items in the long list of problems we have just heard are not correct and which are?

[Earl Howe]

The noble Lord, Lord West, painted a picture of a dysfunctional Royal Navy. I repudiate that picture entirely. It is a Royal Navy that can be proud of the investment that is being placed in it. One of the proudest features are the carriers that the noble Lord, Lord West, was instrumental in commissioning.

Royal Yacht

Debate between Lord Watts and Earl Howe

Wednesday 26th October 2016 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

Yes, my Lords. No government funding has been proposed by any government department.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, do the Government agree that it would be totally wrong to adopt such a measure, given that the Royal Navy has no ships, and those that we have keep breaking down? Would that not give the wrong message to the country?

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, I do not accept the noble Lord’s premise. The Royal Navy has a fleet of ships that bears comparison with any in the world for cutting-edge technology, and we can be proud of that. However, to come back to the noble Lord’s central point, I believe that there are other ways of marketing the UK abroad.