Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the present status of HM Ships Albion and Bulwark; and whether there are plans for the ships to be sold for scrap or used by another navy.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

HMS Albion and Bulwark are currently laid up awaiting disposal.

The Royal Navy is exploring options to sell both HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark in a government-to-government sale. These vessels had, in effect, been retired by the previous Government. Their sale will save £9 million a year in maintenance costs in addition to the receipt from the sale, unlocking as much funding as possible to invest in modernisation, as well as reinforcing relationships with international partners.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility of speeding up the Type 45 Power Improvement Project programme.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Completing the Type 45 Power Improvement Project (PIP) work is dependent on the availability of ships to undertake the upgrade, balanced against the Royal Navy’s (RN) current and future operational commitments.

PIP conversions have been aligned to the routine Class Upkeep cycle, which has been optimised where feasible to accelerate delivery and increase availability. This has enabled an increase in the number of ships undergoing PIP Upkeep in parallel at HM Naval Base Portsmouth, where historically there was only a single Type 45 in Upkeep at any one time. Class availability is now maximised to ensure that the RN has been able to fulfil all its operational commitments.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the UK is the largest European NATO contributor of maritime military capability to the Arctic region.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK makes a leading contribution to European security, and the Armed Forces have a long history of operating in the High North. UK Forces are committed to NATO’s warfighting plans which cover the breadth of Allied territory in the Euro-Atlantic. NATO and the UK dynamically adjust presence in the High North; Forces operating in the High North at any specific time are therefore subject to change.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the eighth Type 26 frigate will join the Royal Navy.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The T26 programme remains on track to meet all user requirements and deliver eight world-class anti-submarine warfare frigates in time to replace the anti-submarine warfare T23s. All ships are expected to enter service between 2028 and 2035.

Type 26 will allow the Royal Navy to continue to play a leading role in the anti-submarine theatre in the North Atlantic and beyond.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government when HMS Victorious' refit will be completed.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I am withholding details of when HMS VICTORIOUS' Deep Maintenance Period will be completed as to do so would suggest the operational availability of vessels, potentially impacting national security.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether use of dry docks in Gibraltar shipyard could ease present and future docking bottlenecks.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The docking capacity to undertake upkeep on Submarines and Warships is the subject of ongoing analysis as part of the Royal Navy's planning process, the Naval Support Integrated Global Network (NSIGN) Programme is an integral part of this.

While the dry dock facilities in Gibraltar have recently been used for maintenance of Offshore Patrol Vessels, there is no current plan or policy for the use of Gibraltar in commercial arrangements in the future. The facilities will generally be utilised when there is a specific operational or commercial need.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether any decisions have been made to convert the Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations into a non-departmental public body in advance of the strategic defence review; and whether members been asked to agree to such a proposal.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The 2019 Review of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) was published on 24 March 2020 and placed in the Library of the House. The Review recommended that the Council of Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (CRFCA) and the 13 RFCAs should be merged into a single Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), with a National Office and a set of regional organisations. The views of the membership were taken into account as part of the review which can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-reserve-forces-cadets-associations-2019.

The NDPB implementation work was paused in March 2023 due to it failing to obtain a legislative slot in the last Parliament, but this work has now re-commenced.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 19 November 2024 (HL2338), whether the investigations referred to are now complete.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Investigations into this matter are still ongoing and I will write to the Gallant and Noble Lord once these investigations are complete.

A copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether, beyond the previously announced restrictions on 10 ships, they have taken any further action against Russia’s "shadow fleet" following recent events in the Baltic.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government has led the way in targeting Russia's shadow fleet of vessels transporting Russian oil and gas in breach of sanctions. On 17 December we sanctioned a further 20 oil tankers, bringing the total designated by this Government to 89, alongside 9 Liquified Natural Gas carriers. We have also sanctioned 7 vessels involved in the transport of military goods.

Sanctions against individual tankers are working. UK sanctioned ships have transported at least $695 million less in Russian crude and refined oil in the 3 months since we introduced sanctions compared to the previous quarter; and a significant number of tankers have ceased trading altogether.

Following the incident damaging the Estlink 2 undersea cable between Finland and Estonia on 25 December, the UK as a framework nation for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) activated NORDIC WARDEN. This harnesses AI to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitors the movements of the shadow fleet. On 10 January, the UK and US introduced further sanctions to clamp down on Putin's flow of energy revenues. The launch of BALTIC SENTRY on 14 January further improves Allies' ability to respond to destabilising acts.

Found: Letter dated 28/01/2025 from Lord Coaker to Lord West of Spithead regarding an issue raised during a