Asked by: Stephen Crabb (Conservative - Preseli Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her planned timetable is for the implementation of the Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme (SCGS) was officially launched on 26 July 2023, and we are continuing to work closely with the National Shipbuilding Office on all aspects of scheme implementation.
The SCGS is a £500 million scheme to help ship buyers and operators to access finance to purchase UK-built vessels and upgrade existing ones. It guarantees a percentage of the value of loans used to purchase, refit, retrofit or repair vessels, sharing the risk with lenders. The scheme forms part of the Government’s £4 billion plan to revitalise UK shipbuilding and coastal communities through the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, announced in 2022.
There have been 32 expressions of interest in the scheme so far and we are now working at pace to finalise the first transactions supported by the scheme.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of his Department's spending on (a) shipbuilding and (b) ship repair was in the (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22 and (iii) 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Departmental spending on shipbuilding is set out in the table below:
Financial Year | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Total Shipbuilding Programme £million | 774.6 | 913.2 | 1069.7 |
The following table sets out spending on ship repair:
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Financial Year | 20-21 | 21-22 | 22-23 |
In Service Support: Surface Fleet & Submarine Equipment: Revenue | 939.6 | 1,012.20 | 1,029.00 |
“Ship repair” has been interpreted to include all in service support costs allocated to our fleet. As such, the values provided represent the total revenue expenditure (RDEL) costs for our Equipment Support Plan (ESP) for the years in question. Due to how the activity is often contracted, it is not possible to separate out costs for the surface fleet from those relating to submarines and capability equipment such as information warfare.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the refreshed Shipbuilding Strategy intends to (1) enhance, and (2) grow, the UK ship repair capability.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh sets out a vision that by 2030, we will be a globally successful, innovative and sustainable UK shipbuilding enterprise. Ship repair is a key part of this enterprise and the Refresh aims to tackle barriers to growth, further develop our capability and support the creation of skilled jobs across the UK shipbuilding enterprise.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they took in developing their plans for a new Royal Navy Surveillance Ship; when it will be ordered; when they expect it will enter service; whether it will have the capacity to repair subsea cables; and whether it will be built in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The new Multi Role Ocean Surveillance Ship is in its concept and assessment phase. Options for the procurement strategy are being explored, but no firm decision has yet been made.
The vessel will primarily undertake survey work and will also enable us to better protect our undersea cables and energy supplies. It will form part of the 30-year cross-Government shipbuilding pipeline which will be published in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh later this year.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 13 July (HL1582), whether the Multi Role Ocean Surveillance Ship will be used as a subsea cable repair ship; and, if so, whether any such ships will be in the 30-year cross-government shipbuilding pipeline to be published later this year.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Multi Role Ocean Surveillance Ship will primarily undertake survey work and will also enable us to better protect our undersea cables and energy supplies. It will form part of the 30-year cross-government shipbuilding pipeline which will be published in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh later this year.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to include the building of subsea cable repair ships within the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Multi Role Ocean Surveillance Ship will be included in the 30-year cross-Government shipbuilding pipeline which will be published in the National Shipbuilding Strategy later this year. This new capability will enhance our ability to protect our underwater critical national infrastructure and our ability to detect threats in the North Atlantic and beyond.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposed naval cable monitoring and repair ship is intended to replace the sophisticated ships currently looking after undersea cables.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Multi Role Ocean Surveillance Ship will be included in the 30-year cross-Government shipbuilding pipeline which will be published in the National Shipbuilding Strategy later this year. This new capability will enhance our ability to protect our underwater critical national infrastructure and our ability to detect threats in the North Atlantic and beyond.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the recommendations made in the report entitled, National Ship Building Strategy, published by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair in May 2019.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I thank the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Shipbuilding and Ship Repair for their work in completing this report.
The Ministry of Defence is not required to make a formal assessment of the recommendations in the report, but as per my oral contribution on 20 May 2019 (Official Report column 494) I would be happy to meet the APPG to discuss their report.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy that Devonport dockyard is considered a potential location for the building of new ships as part of his National Shipbuilding Strategy.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
As the hon. Member will be aware, although ship building in Devonport has ceased, the dockyard plays a leading role in UK naval ship repair, maintenance and support.
The Government published Sir John Parker's independent report to inform the National Shipbuilding Strategy in full on 29 November. It is important that the Government gives Sir John's work the full consideration that it deserves. I have asked Ministry of Defence officials, working with others across Government, to examine the report and recommendations, and to discuss them with Industry. Sir John has set Industry the challenge to deliver higher productivity and shorter build cycle times, and it will be for Industry to consider the optimum locations to base their shipbuilding work.
The Government's response in spring 2017, which will be the National Shipbuilding Strategy, will detail how we are dealing with all of Sir John's recommendations.