Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Royal Navy's escort fleet capabilities.

The Royal Navy’s escort fleet, comprising Type 23 Frigates and Type 45 Destroyers, is a credible force calibrated to meet individual and multinational Defence outputs effectively. These vessels remain poised to defend the Fleet against complex threats and are central to the UKs Carrier Strike Capability, as witnessed in Carrier Strike Group 21. The importance of the escort fleet will be further illustrated in Carrier Strike Group 25 next year, which will involve deployment to the Indo-Pacific.

The introduction of Type 26 and 31 Frigates in the coming years demonstrates the Royal Navy’s commitment to the modernisation of our escort fleet.