Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of transferring two minehunter ships to Ukraine on the Royal Navy’s minehunter capabilities.

The Royal Navy continues to ensure that it has sufficient assets available to meet its operational outputs.

Looking forward, the Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) programme aims to provide a transition from conventional ship-based Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving, to the exploitation of innovative and technically advanced maritime autonomous off-board systems, making the disposal of sea mines safer, more efficient and effective.