Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of producing further Type 26 and Type 31 frigates for the Royal Navy.

The Royal Navy is carefully managing a Frigate Transition Programme to ensure the highest priority outputs are maintained through the 2020s as the Type 23 Frigates are retired, and the Type 26 and Type 31 Frigates are introduced into service. Current and planned force levels are continually assessed to ensure that they are optimised to best deliver the tasks His Majesty's Government asks of it, now and in the future. At the present time, it is assessed that the Type 26 and Type 31 Frigates ordered will be sufficient to meet requirements.