Asked by Lord Touhig To ask Her Majesty’s
Government on what date the aircraft carrier HMS “Queen Elizabeth”
will begin sea trials. The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence
(Earl Howe) (Con) My Lords, HMS “Queen Elizabeth” is
currently undertaking harbour trials as part of her test
and...Request free trial
Asked by
-
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date the aircraft
carrier HMS “Queen Elizabeth” will begin sea trials.
-
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Earl Howe)
(Con)
My Lords, HMS “Queen Elizabeth” is currently undertaking
harbour trials as part of her test and integration phase.
Sea trials will begin on successful completion of this
phase.
-
(Lab)
My Lords, we were told in the review of the SDSR that the
carrier HMS “Queen Elizabeth” would begin sea trials in the
spring. Alas, in the words of Ella Fitzgerald, “spring will
be a little late this year”, because Ministers now say that
that will happen in the summer. But lo and behold, just two
weeks ago, when my noble friend asked
whether summer was,
“defined as … from the summer solstice to the September
equinox, or … June to August”,
he was told by the Minister that summer “was not defined”
and that rather, it was a,
“broad indication of the likely timetable”.
This milestone in Britain’s maritime history is turning
into a farce. I invite the Minister to come clean, tell us
what has caused the delay and give us a firm date for the
sea trials.
-
My Lords, perhaps I can clarify the timetable a little bit.
“The summer” means “a little later than shortly”. To
address the substance of his question, this is about the
need to test systems. The Queen Elizabeth class carriers
are the largest and most complex warships ever built in
this country. It is essential that we thoroughly test the
ship’s many complex systems before she begins sea trials.
None of the issues now being tested will affect acceptance
of contract of HMS “Queen Elizabeth” later this year. The
work is within the tolerance that we had anticipated in the
contract schedule.
-
(Con)
When the carriers have been sorted out, can we have a
Spithead review so that we can see for ourselves the size
and might of the new British Navy?
-
I am sure that the First Sea Lord will be very interested
in that suggestion.
-
(LD)
I had the privilege of seeing the Queen Elizabeth class
carriers at Rosyth last week, and the “Queen Elizabeth” was
doing her harbour trials. My question relates to the
aircraft that are meant to go on the carrier. Will the
F-35s be available when the “Queen Elizabeth” is set to
sail, or are the delays to the carrier simply to enable the
F-35s to be delayed as well?
-
My Lords, the 2015 strategic defence and security review
set out our intent to have two front-line operational F-35B
squadrons by the end of 2023, and we plan to buy 138
Lightning aircraft over the life of the programme. To date
we have taken delivery of eight F-35B aircraft, with a
further six, currently in production, to follow very
shortly. The next annual production contract is scheduled
to be let next month, and we intend to order a further
three under that part of the contract.
-
(CB)
In her visit to Washington, the Prime Minister made the
highly significant statement that we would stop trying to
change the world in our image. While this will come as a
considerable relief to the 22 countries we have not invaded
at some time or other, does the Minister agree that the
Prime Minister’s important statement should lead to a
reassessment of foreign policy and a possible defence
saving?
-
My Lords, I cannot give the noble Lord that precise
assurance. I say that because we are clear—and I am sure that
most noble Lords in this House are clear—that NATO must
remain the cornerstone of this country’s defence and the
defence of western Europe. It is very important that we
remind ourselves of the significance of NATO in that context.
-
(Lab)
My Lords, the first thing to say is that we should be
extremely proud of these carriers. They are going to be a
force for stability and good all around the world. They are
the only conventional capability we have with true strategic
global significance, and that is why the Americans are so
keen that we should have them. My question is similar to that
of the noble Baroness. We last lost an aircraft carrier in
1942, and she did not have her air group with her. It is
actually very difficult to find and kill an aircraft carrier,
but she did not have an air group. When HMS “Queen Elizabeth”
sails on her first operational deployment, particularly if it
is east of Suez, will she have a full air group of Sea
Lightnings, including Crowsnest, and will she have the
supporting ships, frigates, destroyers and nuclear submarine
which make a carrier battle group? The group I took to Hong
Kong had 14 ships. Will we be able to do that, looking at the
pressure on resources at the moment?
-
My Lords, the initial operating capability for carrier
strike, which is scheduled for no later than December 2020,
will consist of one carrier, one squadron of Lightnings and
Crowsnest. As the noble Lord will know, the carriers will
operate as part of a maritime task group which will be
tailored to meet the required task, so the precise number and
mix of vessels deployed will have to depend on the
operational circumstances of the time. We will be able to
draw from a range of modern and highly capable vessels to
support the carriers, such as the type 45 destroyers, Type 23 frigates,
Astute class submarines and, in the longer term, Type 26
frigates.
-
(Con)
My Lords, given that the Royal Navy is fully deployed on
standing tasks, can the Minister explain from where these
extra ships will come to form a carrier task force, should
HMS “Queen Elizabeth” be deployed?
-
We have many of these ships at the moment. We have
the type 45 destroyers and the Type 23
frigates; the Astute class submarines are coming off the
production line, so we will have those; and as I say, in the
longer term we will have the Type 26 frigates. The plan is to
cut steel for the first one this year.
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