Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Type 23 frigates are (a) operationally available and (b) capable of being deployed simultaneously.

As of 31 October 2024, six Type 23 frigates were available. The normal operating cycle of every ship involves them entering different readiness levels depending on their programmes, periods of refit and Departmental planning requirements. This is carefully managed to ensure the Royal Navy has sufficient assets available to deliver concurrent operational outputs today, both in the UK and around the globe, whilst ensuring longer term Frigate availability tomorrow to meet changing defence demands in an uncertain world.

Readiness is a priority for this Government. Options to improve the readiness and availability of the Royal Navy Surface Fleet forms a key part of the ongoing Strategic Defence Review.