Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress of the programme to ensure that the Navy's fleet of destroyers are fully fit for operations.

The first Type 45 destroyer is due to undergo Power Improvement Project upgrades in 2020 and will be returning to sea trials in 2021. Our £160 million investment in the Power Improvement Project will provide increases in both power generation and reliability for the rest of the Type 45 destroyers' service life. It is planned that all six ships should have completed their upgrade during the mid-2020s.

Like all Royal Navy ships, the Type 45 destroyers rotate through planned operating cycles involving maintenance, training, deployment, leave and capability upgrades. This results in individual ships being at various levels of readiness. The Type 45 Destroyers continue to be deployed on operations and contribute to the defence of the UK and our international partners.