To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost is of building and equipping for sea a (a) minesweeper, (b) destroyer, (c) frigate, (d) nuclear submarine and (e) Trident-equipped submarine; how many such vessels are in active service; and when each such vessel was commissioned.

The information requested is provided in the following table.

The costs provided are based on actual costs at the time they were incurred and therefore do not reflect current build costs. They cover those vessels that have achieved their In Service Date (ISD). Total costs of equipping the platforms (which is an ongoing process through life), including those associated with Government Furnished Equipment, are not held centrally and could be provided at only disproportionate cost,

ISDs have been provided as they more accurately reflect a ship's availability for ‘active service’ than commissioning dates.

HMS Duncan, the final ship in class, is expected to achieve her ISD in March 2014.

The unit production cost for a T45 is £633 million. This figure includes the cost of the T45 platform and the Sea Viper missile system, but does not include the development costs of the T45 programme.

The build costs of these vessels are no longer held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Astute Class submarines

The first two (of seven) Astute Class submarines have achieved their ISD.

HMS Artful, the third boat in class, is currently in build.

There is no unit cost for an Astute Class submarine as Boats one to three (Astute, Ambush, and Artful) were contracted as a batch with a total forecast cost of £3.4 billion, which includes cost of building the boats, the onboard communications system, and the tactical weapons system.

The total procurement cost for the four submarines was £3,587 million, which equates to approximately £897 million per submarine. This figure excludes the costs of the tactical and strategic weapons systems.