Type 31 Construction Underway at Rosyth

That the Parliament welcomes the news that construction is now underway on the first of five warships at Babcock’s base in Rosyth, as part of a £1.25 billion UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) contract that it understands will create 1,250 jobs across Fife; understands that the commencement of construction of the first of the type 31 frigates, to be named HMS Venturer, was marked by a keel-laying ceremony, which was held on 26 April 2022, and which included a specially-commissioned coin, designed by Josh Duffy from Lochgelly West Primary School, being placed under the keel; further understands that the ceremony was held in the Venturer Building, which was built to house two frigates for uninterrupted parallel assembly, and that, on completion of the initial ship, Josh's coin will be presented to the captain and crew; understands that Babcock’s Team 31 has been contracted by the MOD to deliver five Type 31 frigates; believes that the contract has signalled another decade of shipbuilding activity for the historic dockyard at Rosyth; understands that by building on what it sees as the unique experience of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, and its success with the aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, Babcock has brought together a highly-experienced and integrated project team, spanning several regions of the UK, to meet the challenging Type 31 programme; notes that this initiative, which has been described by the MOD as a pathfinder programme, is the first of its kind to be delivered under the UK Government’s new National Shipbuilding Strategy; believes that, as well as re-energising the UK’s maritime capability through modern UK ship design and build practices, honed by construction of the aircraft carriers, the Type 31 programme will also support technology transfer into the wider UK through the command system and will drive British shipbuilding expertise to match what it sees as the Royal Navy’s pedigree as a world leader in naval platforms; understands that Type 31 will be at the heart of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet; believes that this will contribute to deterring aggression and maintaining the security of the UK’s interests; understands that it will also work alongside the UK’s allies to deliver a warship presence across the globe and enable a forward naval presence; commends Josh on the design and selection of his coin; welcomes the creation of additional jobs in Scotland by the MOD, and wishes everyone involved with the entire project all the very best for its ultimate success.