Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many submarines have been unable to deploy due to maintenance overruns in each of the last five years; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the potential impact of increased operational tempos on submarine availability.

The Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with the Submarine Delivery Agency and industry partners to minimise maintenance overruns and ensure that submarine availability remains aligned with operations

We are investing in infrastructure, work capacity and improved maintenance processes to mitigate the impact of increased operational tempos on the Fleet.