Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy o the ability of the UK to field a wholly sovereign Carrier Strike Group.

The composition and size of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) deployments are tailored to meet the operational requirement and all options are continuously reviewed to ensure optimum Royal Navy output. A UK Carrier Strike Group can routinely deploy and operate with allies and partners, including those from Joint Expeditionary Force and NATO. Regardless of any integration of international escorts and aircraft during a deployment, we will always retain a sovereign capability giving us the ability to operate the UK Carrier Strike Group in an independent sovereign manner.