Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Type 45 destroyers are (1) at sea, and (2) technically fit to go to sea with 24 hours notice.

We do not disclose the readiness state of individual ships for operational security reasons, as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. HMS DEFENDER is currently deployed on operations in the Gulf. All Royal Navy ships rotate through planned operating cycles involving routine maintenance, repair, training, deployment, leave, essential modification and upgrades and will, therefore, be at varying levels of readiness in accordance with Defence requirements.