Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has placed contractual guarantees on Team Resolute to ensure the final assembly for all three ships under the Fleet Solid Support Ships programme is completed in Belfast.

No contract has yet been signed. The manufacture contract will, however, reflect the bid proposal put forward by Team Resolute during the competition to build the Fleet Solid Support ships.

Navantia UK, which will hold the manufacture contract on behalf of Team Resolute, will be contractually held to account to follow this plan of manufacture in the same way as any other contractor.