Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the strategic rationale is for the change in the total number of Type 26 frigates to be built.

The Strategic Defence and Security Review (Cm9161) endorsed the requirement for eight of the anti-submarine warfare variant of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship to replace the eight Type 23 frigates that currently fulfil this role. The review also concluded that the remainder of the Navy's future frigate requirement would be better met by a new class of lighter, flexible, general purpose frigates than by the five general purpose Type 26 ships previously planned. This new class of frigate will be procured in greater numbers enabling an increase in the size of the Navy's destroyer and frigate fleet above the 19 ships currently in service. This will further improve the Royal Navy's ability to deliver the full range of defence, warfighting and maritime security tasks well into the middle of the 21st Century.