Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 31 of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, when he plans for the off-shore patrol vessels being procured by his Department to come into service.

Three River Class Patrol Vessels are already under construction, the first two of which are scheduled to enter service in 2018 and the third in 2019. The contract for two further vessels, and therefore their delivery schedule, has yet to be agreed and will be influenced by the Shipbuilding Strategy to be published in 2016.