Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2026, to question 34620 on Roll-on Roll-off Ships: Decommissioning, if the £290 million for the provision of a future strategic sealift capability will be for a) procurement of a Government owned fleet of vessels or b) a third party contract for provision of the capability, prior to 2031, given the funding is for 2026-2030.

The Defence Investment Plan allocates £290 million between 2026 and 2030 towards the provision of a future strategic sealift capability. The current strategic sealift contract, under which the vessels are privately owned, runs until 31 December 2031. The Department is considering the future provision of this capability, and the procurement approach and associated timescales will be confirmed once decisions have been taken.