Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Royal Navy Estate statement on 15th July, what the planned timetable is for the establishment of mine hunting operations at the Finnart Oil Terminal.

The Ministry of Defence has purchased the Finnart Oil Terminal on Scotland’s west coast, marking a multi-million-pound investment to strengthen the United Kingdom’s national security and defence resilience. There will be a phased relocation of equipment, autonomous systems and support vessels to support mine hunting operations from 2028. This approach allows investment and capability growth to be matched to emerging operational requirements, ensuring continuity of mine countermeasures capability while supporting the longer-term transformation of the HMNB Clyde estate and MHC operating model.