I refer the noble lady to the answer given to Question 118566 in the House of Commons on 16 March 2026.

The size and composition of the Royal Navy are kept under continuous review to ensure the force can meet Defence tasks and operational commitments.

The National Conversation is essential to promote unity of effort across society and support a whole-of-society approach to UK deterrence and defence. In many ways, the conversation has already begun, as evidenced in the Prime Minister’s statement evidence at the Liaison’s Committee on 23 March and reinforced by the Prime Minister’s remarks on 5 June, highlighting that we are living in more dangerous and volatile times with increasing state backed attacks across the UK and other countries.

This Government is committed to strengthening national preparedness and the communication of threats through the Prime Minister-led national conversation to increase public awareness of the most serious risks we face. As confirmed in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 14 July, the Government will launch a national resilience public awareness campaign later this year. The Ministry of Defence is playing a key role within the programme of work, aligned Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme, to facilitate a whole of society approach to defence and security.

All Royal Navy ships rotate through planned operating cycles involving routine maintenance, repair, training, deployment, leave, essential modification and upgrades and will, therefore, be at varying levels of readiness in accordance with Defence requirements.

It is longstanding policy not to comment on the readiness state of individual ships in detail, as to do so would prejudice the capability, operational effectiveness and security of the Armed Forces

Defence is committed to efficiency and ensuring every pound spent on Defence is used in the best way for our Armed Forces and the taxpayer. The Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, identifies, in section 4 - Defence Reform and Efficiency, that our total efficiency commitment is £10.7 billion over the period financial year 2026-27 to 2029-30 (inclusive). This includes the £6 billion of new savings committed to in Strategic Defence Review 25 and savings agreed through the Spending Review 2025. The Defence Investment Plan at Table 18 provides a breakdown of this £10.7 billion figure, showing that workforce and resourcing will contribute c£3.3 billion which includes the Strategic Defence Review commitment to at least a 10% reduction in Civil Service workforce costs; and that reform and service redesign will contribute c£1.1 billion. This is backed by an additional £500 million investment as a ring-fenced Transformation Fund - to accelerate productivity enhancing investments.

I refer the Noble Lady to the answer given to Question 16066 to the hon. Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) on 13 July 2026 in the House of Commons.

The exact delivery profile and date of F-35 aircraft is subject to negotiation between the UK and multinational Joint Program Office, but the UK anticipates taking delivery of the next batch of F-35 aircraft from the early 2030s.

I refer the Noble Lady to the answer given to Question 16066 to the hon. Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) on 13 July 2026 in the House of Commons.

The exact delivery profile and date of F-35 aircraft is subject to negotiation between the UK and multinational Joint Program Office, but the UK anticipates taking delivery of the next batch of F-35 aircraft from the early 2030s.

I refer the noble lady to the answers given in the House of Commons to Questions 9539 and 15397, reproduced below.

The Type 83 Destroyer forms part of a wider Future Air Dominance System (FADS) capability concept, making specific costs for the Type 83 element hard to differentiate from the wider whole. Over the last three financial years, c.£1M has been spent on platform-specific design for the Type 83. This forms part of a c.£6.9M which is the broader notional spend for Type 83 work as a part of FADS.

The role of Maritime Air Defence, currently delivered by Type 45 Destroyers, will be delivered in the future by a mix of crewed Common Combat Vessels and uncrewed, autonomous missile (Type 91) and sensor (Type 94) ships.

The decision to move to this hybrid approach was taken after detailed analysis of current and future threats, including lessons from ongoing conflicts. The specific analysis is necessarily classified, but the mix of crewed and uncrewed systems will produce a more flexible force, with greater missile capacity while also improving mass. The alternative, an expensive, exquisite platform such as the Type 83, would have resulted in too few ships to cover all the Royal Navy’s tasks, increasing risk. Detailed planning for the transition between Type 45 and the Hybrid Navy Maritime Air Defence capability will be undertaken in consultation with industry, which will determine whether a Type 45 extension is implemented. A final decision is not expected until 2027-28.

I refer the noble lady to the answers given in the House of Commons to Questions 9539 and 15397, reproduced below.

The Type 83 Destroyer forms part of a wider Future Air Dominance System (FADS) capability concept, making specific costs for the Type 83 element hard to differentiate from the wider whole. Over the last three financial years, c.£1M has been spent on platform-specific design for the Type 83. This forms part of a c.£6.9M which is the broader notional spend for Type 83 work as a part of FADS.

The role of Maritime Air Defence, currently delivered by Type 45 Destroyers, will be delivered in the future by a mix of crewed Common Combat Vessels and uncrewed, autonomous missile (Type 91) and sensor (Type 94) ships.

The decision to move to this hybrid approach was taken after detailed analysis of current and future threats, including lessons from ongoing conflicts. The specific analysis is necessarily classified, but the mix of crewed and uncrewed systems will produce a more flexible force, with greater missile capacity while also improving mass. The alternative, an expensive, exquisite platform such as the Type 83, would have resulted in too few ships to cover all the Royal Navy’s tasks, increasing risk. Detailed planning for the transition between Type 45 and the Hybrid Navy Maritime Air Defence capability will be undertaken in consultation with industry, which will determine whether a Type 45 extension is implemented. A final decision is not expected until 2027-28.

The £5.4 billion Typhoon spend detailed in the Defence Investment Plan comprises the planned spend to maintain and upgrade the UK’s Typhoon aircraft and assure their capabilities into the 2040s. It includes radar, communications, and software upgrades, new defensive aids systems, and improvements to weapons systems such as the upgraded helmet mounted sight. There is no plan to purchase additional Typhoon aircraft, but the UK’s mix of 4th and 5th generation combat air platforms ensures the RAF has the breadth of capabilities it needs to respond to our defence requirements.

The Defence Investment Plan provides for the recapitalisation of the Chinook fleet through the Chinook Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP). Defence is currently progressing the next phase of this work, known as Chinook CSP Tranche 2, which will replace legacy Chinook aircraft and sustain the United Kingdom's Vertical Heavy Lift capability beyond 2040. This is distinct from Chinook CSP Tranche 1, which is the previously approved procurement of 14 H‑47(ER) aircraft.

Current planning assumptions envisage contractual commitment through the Strategic Defence Review 2030, with deliveries of new Chinook aircraft commencing in the mid-2030s. Initial Operating Capability is expected in the latter part of the 2030s, with further procurement activity supporting the fleet through to at least 2060.

Defence is continuing to refine the requirement and assess options through the programme's assessment phase. The final number of aircraft to be procured, and the associated delivery profile, will be determined through future approvals and force design decisions based on the requirements, threat assessments and the technological changes to have taken place by then.

The Department’s New Medium Helicopter contract with Leonardo UK is for 23 aircraft and four Flight Simulation Training Devices. There are currently no plans to acquire additional aircraft.

I pay tribute to the noble Baroness as well, who commands great respect in Scotland across the political divide. Her comments therefore are of great significance. I repeat that I will take that back, because if someone of her standing is making that point, I regard that as significant.

The noble Baroness has huge experience in this—and as soon as we talk about defence, I have to declare myself as an honorary captain in the Royal Navy. With regard to individual procurement decisions, she knows as well as me that I would not have been involved in the direct procurement, but I can ensure that the Defence Minister writes to her on it. However, let me be clear about what the defence investment plan means for British jobs. There will be an additional 60,000 British jobs because of the investment that this Government chose to make that the previous Government did not.

It is partly the role of ACAS to do that kind of thing, but the Department for Business and Trade and the Ministry of Justice, working together across government, have set up the dispute resolution system taskforce. That is to support the Government in considering options to reform the employment dispute system so that it works better for workers and businesses. The taskforce will consist of unions, businesses, legal representatives and third sector organisations. Using all that combined expertise, it will help us find ways of achieving earlier resolution for some of these troubling cases.

The noble Baroness will see in due course some of the ways in which we are taking forward AI, but she is quite right to ask about this. AI is crucial to the future provision for our Armed Forces and to enabling them to have the capability and capacity they need for the conflicts of the future. Palantir is one example of the way in which we seek to take that forward. Other options will be brought forward as part of the defence investment plan. Clearly, AI is the future of much of the technological co-operation that will be needed both within government and with our allies.