Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled Naval Base Infrastructure, published on 14 July 2026, what timetable has been set for the modernisation of 10 Dock at HMNB Devonport.

As part of Project Royal Oak, £7.1 billion will be invested in HMNB Devonport and Devonport Dockyard over the next decade. This investment includes continued upgrades to 15 Dock to enhance capability and resilience for the submarine maintenance programme, the modernisation of 10 Dock, and completion of the 14 Dock recommissioning programme, which will enable legacy submarine defuelling operations to resume. It also includes broader infrastructure renewal and maintenance across the site.

This significant investment reflects both historic underinvestment in infrastructure and evolving operational requirements. The 15 Dock programme has already enabled the successful docking of the first Astute-class submarine at Devonport.

Following the nuclear regulatory review, we are currently exploring opportunities to accelerate work on 10 and 14 Dock, and we continue to drive forward delivery of these projects at the earliest possible opportunity.