Written question asked by Jim Dowd (Labour) on Monday, 31 January 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 February 2011. It was answered by Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 8 February 2011 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

HMS Ark Royal

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what process he has put in place to decide the future of HMS Ark Royal.

Answer: HMS Ark Royal will be disposed of in accordance with the Ministry of Defence's policy for disposing of large items of surplus defence equipment to maximise value to the taxpayer. As such, we are first looking at a sale to other governments for continued military use; this will shortly draw to a close. We are also exploring other options including selling HMS Ark Royal to a private commercial enterprise through a competition that would be carried out consistent with European Union regulations.

Secondary information