Norway Selects a Glasgow-built Type 26 as its Next Generation Frigate

That the Parliament welcomes the reported £10 billion deal for the UK to supply at least five Type 26 class frigates to Norway, which will be built by the Govan and Scotstoun shipyards on the River Clyde in Glasgow; notes with optimism the potential for the largest shipbuilding export deal in Scottish history to secure and create a significant number of highly skilled jobs in the shipbuilding industry and associated advanced manufacturing supply chain; understands that Scotland's shipyards now hold an orderbook for an expected 18 frigates and 13 Type 26 vessels for the Royal Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy, and five Type 31 vessels for the Royal Navy; further understands that that is the largest surface naval shipbuilding programme in Europe, and that it is rivalled only by those in the United States and China; recognises what it sees as the vital role of this industry to Scotland’s economy; notes calls for the Scottish and UK governments to work collaboratively to aim to ensure that Scotland's firms and workers are at the forefront of this project, and to maximise the economic benefit and long-term security for communities across Scotland, and further notes the calls on them to consider ways of building on this with a comprehensive national shipbuilding strategy for Scotland that will secure further naval and commercial shipbuilding contracts for the country's shipyards.