Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the Type 32 programme; and what plans he has for the likely capabilities of the Type 32s.

The Type 32 programme will be the first of a new generation of warships specifically designed from the outset to be optimised to host and deploy autonomous offboard systems.

The early pre-concept phase has commenced, and the focus is now on developing the operational concept, including how they might support the Future Commando Force within a Littoral Response Group. The programme and procurement strategy will be decided following the concept phase, which has not yet been launched.