Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to purchase Multi-Role Support Ships for the Royal Navy; and whether such vessels are necessary for the future formation of Littoral Response Groups following retirement of the Albion-class Landing Platform Dock vessels.

The Integrated Review 21 identified Multi Role Support Ships (MRSS) as the platforms to deliver Littoral Strike. The Littoral Strike concept is centred around two Littoral Response Groups (LRG) to deliver a sovereign capability, which can be combined into larger task group formations.

The MRSS programme remains in the concept phase, and the programme and procurement strategies will be decided following phase completion. The Royal Navy will continue to assess plans and are still working to the intended in-service dates.

On current plans, the Landing Platform Dock vessels are due to be retired in the early 2030s but will form part of the LRG until the MRSS come into service.