HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the defence budget was taken up by the construction of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales in each year from 2010 until their completion.
Answered by Luke Pollard
The construction of the two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers was a multi-year capital programme, with costs incurred including design, block construction and equipment installation and trials. The total construction cost for both aircraft carriers was £6.3 billion and the ships were commissioned in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
Under financial regulations, the Ministry of Defence is required to retain financial records for six years following the end of the financial year to which they relate. This would exclude periods prior to Financial Year 2018-19 when the majority of the aircraft carrier construction costs would have incurred.
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