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Written question asked by Julian Lewis (Conservative) on Wednesday, 13 December 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 December 2023 (named day). It was answered by James Cartlidge (Conservative) on Monday, 18 December 2023 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


National Flagship

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s policy is on the construction of a national flagship; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using private sponsorship to finance the construction of such a vessel.

Answer

In the face of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the decision was made to suspend the National Flagship programme in order to accelerate the procurement of the Multi Role Ocean Surveillance ships.

The Government has no current aspiration to revive the National Flagship. However, the National Shipbuilding Office stands ready to engage with any privately funded venture which has a developed business case and that would bring benefit to UK shipyards and broader supply chain.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
6694
Session
2023-24
Subjects
Finance Private sector National flagship
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk