Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made a comparative assessment of (a) the UK’s and (b) Russia's icebreaker capability.

The Ministry of Defence is not aware of any direct comparative assessment between Russian and UK ice-breaking capability. The Royal Navy's Ice Patrol Ship, HMS PROTECTOR, does not receive its tasking in a traditional military manner, being employed most frequently in a support and survey capacity for the majority of its deployed time.