Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2020 to Question 18618 on Type 31 Frigates, when the in water date is for the remaining Type 31 Frigates.

In the context of Type 31 the phrase 'in the water' means the point at which the ship is transported out of the assembly hall to an adjacent wet basin where it will be lowered into the water or 'floated out'. Government Furnished Equipment will be integrated into the ship at appropriate points, including after 'float out' as is common practice in the building of warships.

The programme remains on track for the first ship to be in the water by 2023, however further information on the 'in the water' dates of the remaining Type 31 ships is commercially sensitive. The disclosure of this information would be prejudicial to commercial interests as the contractor is still in the process of finalising subcontractor supply chain agreements.