Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the average number of summits and other diplomatic talks that will be held on the new national flagship each year.

The National Flagship will be a visible demonstration of the UK's commitment to enhance and strengthen trade with our key export markets around the world. Given eight of the world's ten largest cities are located by the coast, the National Flagship will promote the UK's diplomatic and trading interests. It will provide a unique convening power to British exporters and a secure sovereign hub for many diplomatic events. The Government is currently considering the potential number of summits and diplomatic talks that the National Flagship will host.