Fleet Solid Support Ships: Procurement
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the in-service date for the fleet solid support ships has been impacted by the changes to the Harland and Wolff contract.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Government has worked closely with Navantia UK (Prime Contractor) on the future of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme and agreed with them the minimum changes to the contract necessary - on commercial terms - to ensure its continued delivery. This includes minimising disruption to the current schedule as much as possible, including the impact on in-service dates which is still being assessed.
We are unable to comment on the details of the contract due to commercial sensitivities. The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, safeguards the delivery of the FSS programme and secures the future of all four Harland & Wolff (H&W) shipyards in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Devon.
The overall build strategy for the FSS ships remains unchanged. All three ships will be assembled from blocks manufactured in H&W shipyards in the UK and Navantia's shipyards in Spain. Final assembly and systems integration of the ships is planned to take place in Belfast.
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