Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, during which month he expects HMS Queen Elizabeth to depart Rosyth for her first sea trials.

HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH is currently undertaking harbour trials as part of her test and integration phase. This phase will demonstrate the readiness for sea of the ship's on board systems and address any technical issues, which are expected in a programme of this scale and complexity.

Sea trials will begin to emerge on successful completion of this phase followed by her acceptance into service with the Royal Navy later in the year, as planned. It is too early at this stage to be specific about dates, which are also dependent on tides and weather conditions.