Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) crew accommodation and (b) crewing levels in the Fleet Solid Support Ships contract following the principal contractor’s completion of the Preliminary Design Review stage.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Navantia UK, the prime contractor for the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship programme, is responsible for delivering the Design and Manufacture contract. The successful completion of the Preliminary Design Review marks the first major milestone in the programme and confirms the robustness and maturity of the ship’s design.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) including representatives from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) are well engaged with Navantia and the British designer of the ship, BMT, to monitor the progress of all aspects of the programme. This includes the RFA’s accommodation requirements, which are designed to a standard that is fully consistent with our expectations and is compliant where practicable with Merchant shipping regulations. The FSS design meets this intent, in order to improve the living conditions for our RFA seafarers.
Crewing levels are based on a detailed analysis of the MOD’s requirements. The core RFA crew is expected to be around 100 in number with additional military augmentees and specialists embarked for specific tasks and roles. As the design matures the MOD, working with the contractor, test the ship design and equipment selection criteria against this headmark, to ensure that the ship can be safely operated and maintained.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what oversight his Department has had in the preliminary design review of the Fleet Solid Support Ships programme.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Navantia UK, the prime contractor for the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship programme, is responsible for delivering the Design and Manufacture contract. The successful completion of the Preliminary Design Review marks the first major milestone in the programme and confirms the robustness and maturity of the ship’s design.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) including representatives from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) are well engaged with Navantia and the British designer of the ship, BMT, to monitor the progress of all aspects of the programme. This includes the RFA’s accommodation requirements, which are designed to a standard that is fully consistent with our expectations and is compliant where practicable with Merchant shipping regulations. The FSS design meets this intent, in order to improve the living conditions for our RFA seafarers.
Crewing levels are based on a detailed analysis of the MOD’s requirements. The core RFA crew is expected to be around 100 in number with additional military augmentees and specialists embarked for specific tasks and roles. As the design matures the MOD, working with the contractor, test the ship design and equipment selection criteria against this headmark, to ensure that the ship can be safely operated and maintained.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual cost is of maintaining decommissioned nuclear submarines at (a) Rosyth and (b) Devonport.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The annual cost for maintaining decommissioned submarines varies each year depending on the respective maintenance requirements. In financial year 2023-24, £1.711 million was spent at Rosyth and £7.056 million at Devonport.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department will publish a Contract Notice for Submarine Disposal following the Market Interest Day held on 6 July 2023.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Submarine Disposal Capability project was established in 2022 to identify an enduring disposal solution. The project is in its Concept Phase and market engagements were undertaken in July 2023 and June 2024 to inform the optimum way ahead.
The next phase of this work is to develop a business case for approval which will set out the approach and future timelines for any procurement action, including further marker engagement, such as the publishing of a Contract Notice.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what locations are being considered for the (a) build and (b) assembly of the fleet solid support ships.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Successful delivery of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) Ships project remains a priority. On current plans, the three FSS ships will be assembled from blocks which are expected to be built in Harland & Wolff (H&W) shipyards in Belfast and Appledore in Devon and Navantia's shipyard in Cadiz, Spain. Assembly and integration of the ships is planned to take place in Belfast.
Following a review of H&W's financial situation, the Government is clear that the market is best placed to address the challenges the company is facing. We continue to work extensively with all parties to find an outcome for the company that continues to deliver shipbuilding and manufacturing in the UK.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to hold discussions with his AUKUS counterparts on including the Submarine Dismantling Project in that partnership.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As part of the AUKUS partnership, Australia will be responsible for the disposal of its own conventionally-armed, nuclear powered submarines. While there are no plans to include the Submarine Dismantling Project as part of AUKUS, the UK Government continues to support the Australian Government to develop their own plans for the disposal of their retired nuclear powered submarines, including decommissioning, defueling, dismantling, recycling, and the management of the used fuel following its removal.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Submarine Dismantling Project on the economy in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence regularly engages with Scottish Government officials on the Submarine Disposals Programme, allowing constructive dialogue on a wide range of issues including jobs.
Swiftsure, the first vessel to be disposed of, is being used as a demonstrator to refine the dismantling and recycling processes under the Ministry of Defence's Submarine Dismantling Project. Learning from this, alongside market engagement, is informing our approach to both current and future submarine disposal plans.
The Submarine Dismantling Project currently sustains more than 500 jobs across the Defence Nuclear Enterprise and, so far, has invested upwards of £200 million into Babcock International Group's Rosyth dockyard and the wider UK supply chain. It continues to provide a source of highly skilled jobs in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure long-term availability of submarine berths for repair and maintenance in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government is committed to ensuring the availability of submarine berths to support submarine operations, which includes the Continuous at Sea Deterrent. We are focussed on the long-term infrastructure development of His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde and HMNB Devonport to support the United Kingdom’s submarines.
For reasons of operational security, further details on specific berths cannot be disclosed.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has held with international (a) allies and (b) partners on the Submarine Dismantling Project.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to engage with industry partners to ensure we can deliver an optimised submarine dismantling programme. The Swiftsure demonstrator project serves as a proof of concept and benchmark against which market testing of future dismantling proposals can be assessed.
The MOD has also engaged with our international allies including the USA and France, sharing information and learning, to aid the acceleration of the UK's dismantling programme.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on supporting skills development for Scottish workers to enable them to get jobs as part of the Submarine Dismantling Project.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence regularly engages with Scottish Government officials on the Submarine Disposals Programme, allowing constructive dialogue on a wide range of issues including jobs.
Swiftsure, the first vessel to be disposed of, is being used as a demonstrator to refine the dismantling and recycling processes under the Ministry of Defence's Submarine Dismantling Project. Learning from this, alongside market engagement, is informing our approach to both current and future submarine disposal plans.
The Submarine Dismantling Project currently sustains more than 500 jobs across the Defence Nuclear Enterprise and, so far, has invested upwards of £200 million into Babcock International Group's Rosyth dockyard and the wider UK supply chain. It continues to provide a source of highly skilled jobs in Scotland and the rest of the UK.