Written question asked by Linda Gilroy (Labour) on Tuesday, 26 February 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 29 February 2008. It was answered by Bob Ainsworth (Labour) on Wednesday, 5 March 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Surface Ship Support Alliance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the Surface Ship Support Alliance.

Answer: [holding answer 29 February 2008]: The Surface Ship Support (SSS) Project is part of the wider Maritime Change Programme (MCP) that aims to deliver an affordable and sustainable maritime enterprise, and is an important element of the Defence Industrial Strategy.The SSS Project is currently exploring a wide range of support options to deliver sustainable, efficient and affordable support to legacy complex warships. One of these is the formation of an alliance between the MOD and the two major surface ship support contractors (Babcock Marine and Fleet Support Limited). While this approach is currently the leading option, no final decisions have yet been taken.Under the alliance approach, several batches of upkeep packages have already been successfully agreed by MOD and industry. By giving industry visibility of future plans, it is able to plan ahead and adapt their capabilities to meet future requirements.

Secondary information