Written question asked by Mike Hancock (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 6 June 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 8 June 2005. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Monday, 13 June 2005 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Trafalgar Class Vessels

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which vessels in the Trafalgar Class have been subject to unscheduled operating restrictions in the last 12 months; what the causes were; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Operating restrictions have been applied to two Trafalgar Class submarines in the past 12 months. Since September 2004, restrictions applied to the operation of HMS Torbay and HMS Tireless which prevented them from operating at sea, and they have remained in HMNB Devonport. As responsible nuclear submarine operators, the MOD keeps submarine and nuclear safety under continual review. This process identified a theoretical safety concern that potentially weakened the submarine safety justification for these vessels. It was decided that further work should be conducted to restore full confidence in the safety justification before these two submarines returned to normal operation. At no stage did this issue take the form of a fault or defect within these submarines and the decision to limit their operation was in line with the MOD's requirement to maintain the highest safety standards. The relevant further work on HMS Torbay's safety justification is nearing completion and work to support HMS Tireless' safety justification will be carried out as part of the previously programmed maintenance and upgrade period which she has just entered.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 2977; 435 c18-9W
Session: 2005-06
Related items: Trafalgar Class Vessels
Wednesday, 29 June 2005
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Trafalgar class submarines