Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) maintenance and (b) repair work has been carried out on HMS Queen Elizabeth in the last year; and what the cost to the public purse has been of that work.

The amounts spent on the repair and maintenance of each of the two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers in the calendar year 2020 are provided in the following tables, rounded to the nearest half million.

Maintenance activities for both ships during the specified period include the completion of Category B (desirable) safety and environmental maintenance tasks; maintenance of flight deck coatings and markings; and the recertification or replacement of lifed items.

Repair activities encompass the rectification of Operational Defects as and when those occur. Operational Defects can vary in their categorisation and severity, covering minor ancillary components through to major defects. We do not release more detailed information relating to Operational Defects as this would allow deductions to be made about a ship's capability and may affect operational security.

The costs of the repairs to HMS Prince of Wales as a result of the flooding incident in October 2020 will largely be accounted for in this calendar year.