Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 24, paragraph 67 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, what plans are in place to develop exportable through life support solutions for Type 31e frigates built for foreign navies.

One of our key aims in procuring the Type 31e frigate is to minimise the cost of owning the ships. A key factor in achieving this aim will be keeping maintenance to a minimum and simplifying maintenance tasks wherever possible.

We expect that designing ease of maintenance into the ships from the outset will be highly attractive to potential export customers.