Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled New Amphibious Transport Ships better suited for war conditions, published by the Dutch Ministry of Defence on 6 March 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision to end the joint procurement of a littoral strike platform with the UK on the Royal Navy’s plans to acquire this capability through the Multi-Role Support Ship programme.

The Multi-Role Support Ship Programme is currently in its pre-concept phase, which has included the exploration of opportunities to collaborate with the Netherlands on common design options, interoperability, and equipment commonality. The focus is on determining the requirement and on setting the programme up for success, with work ongoing to ensure affordability.

The UK continues to have a strong and enduring relationship with the amphibious forces of the Netherlands, and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Netherlands last year reaffirmed that commitment. The intent will be collaborate and co-operate across the amphibious and littoral domains, both in developing equipment capability, interoperability and exploiting training opportunities to mutual benefit.