Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Linda Gilroy (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 3 March 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Aircraft Carriers

Question: Does my right hon. Friend agree with the article in February’s Parliamentary Brief by Dr. Eric Grove, director of the Centre for International Security and War Studies, on ““Tomorrow’s Navy for tomorrow’s world””? It concludes that, by 2020, ““the Brown years”” may be seen to be those"““when the seeds were finally laid for a renaissance of British maritime power and global presence””."

Answer: I am not qualified to see that far into the future and retrospectively assess the position. However, since 1997, when the Government came to power, 31 new ships have been brought into service. We plan to spend approximately £14 billion on naval equipment in the next 10 to 15 years. That constitutes historic investment in our Navy, which will significantly increase its capability. I am sure that future generations will thank us for that investment.

Secondary information