Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to decommission further Type 23 frigates before 2027.

On current plans, the last Type 23 frigate will transition out of service in 2035.

To avoid compromising operational security, the Ministry of Defence does not routinely disclose individual out of service dates for warships or reveal elements of the Fleet's long-term schedule. However, the Royal Navy continues to ensure that it has sufficient assets available to deliver operational outputs.

We expect to have 13 new frigates, eight Type 26 and five Type 31, in service by the early 2030s. Plans for the Type 32 Frigate continue to be developed.