To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral answer of 14 May 2012, Official Report, column 272, whether the proposal for 19 frigates and destroyers includes a programme for the construction of 13 Type-26 frigates; in what year each Type-26 frigate is scheduled to enter service; and where the Type-26 frigates will be base-ported.

I can confirm that the Ministry of Defence's current planning assumption is for the construction of 13 Type 26 Global Combat Ships (GCS). The Type 26 GCS programme is in its Assessment Phase, with the results of this phase expected by the middle of this decade. As usual with equipment projects, the In Service Date will not be set until the Main Gate investment decision has been taken. No decision has been made on the base porting of the Type 26 GCS.