Select committee: Scottish Affairs Committee
Conclusion 19
Seventh Report - Defence in Scotland: the North Atlantic and the High North
Published 21 Jul 2023
Paragraph 88
Addressed to Scotland Office
Scottish Affairs Committee Defence in Scotland All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The committee heard evidence during this inquiry of the need to maintain HM Naval Base Clyde as home to the Royal Navy’s nuclear-armed Vanguard 15 class submarines that form the UK’s Continuous At-Sea Deterrent, as well as the Astute Class of attack submarines. Whilst not all Members of the Committee support this view, we do recognise the serious implications for the UK and NATO should the nuclear fleet ever be removed from Faslane.
From: Scottish Affairs Committee, Seventh Report - Defence in Scotland: the North Atlantic and the High North (HC 1576), paragraph 88, 21 July 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 18 October 2023 (deadline 21 September 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the report and says it remains "committed to the direction" of its existing High North strategy, while declining to adopt a fixed five-year update cycle or appoint a political Arctic ambassador.
- On updating its Arctic strategies every five years, it says this "does not mean HMG will necessarily publish another in five years' time", and will act sooner if circumstances warrant.
- It does not believe appointing a political Arctic Ambassador is "the right approach", but says it is recruiting a Senior Arctic lead at ambassadorial rank.
- On aircraft numbers, it says it "remains confident it maintains the right force mix" for the North Atlantic and High North, while keeping capabilities under review.
- On cold weather capability, it says UK Defence "will examine options" to bolster it, and that its refreshed doctrine will be tested in the first quarter of 2024 and ratified in the second.