Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 58
Set out detailed plan for SSN-AUKUS submarines on cost, skills, and production
Recommendation
We welcome the announcement of the SSN-AUKUS class submarine, including the increased port visits and the Rotational Force, in maintaining a coherent regional presence. The UK must, however, be realistic and cognisant of the significant hurdles for all AUKUS partners in constructing nuclear-powered submarines. A fundamental challenge is the continuing lack of clarity about how many submarines 40 UK Defence and the Indo-Pacific will ultimately be built, the cost, and the availability of a skilled workforce. We call on the Government to set out in its response to this Report the anticipated timescale for producing a detailed plan on: how much it expects SSN-AUKUS to cost, how it will address the skills shortage, and how many SSN-AUKUS class it will produce. It should also set out any existing plans so far as they exist.
Government Response Summary
The government partially rejects the request for a detailed plan on AUKUS submarine costs and numbers, stating these decisions will be made in due course. However, it accepts the recommendation on skills, announcing a Nuclear Skills Taskforce to address workforce development for AUKUS.
Paragraph Reference:
58
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The Government partially rejects the Committee’s request for a plan on AUKUS costs and submarine numbers, while noting its recommendation that it should set out how skills to support AUKUS delivery will be developed. Decisions about how many submarines the UK requires, along with decisions about how the contract to build the submarines will be awarded, will be made in due course based on the evolving strategic picture. The UK has already made significant investments to support our submarine delivery, including £2 billion announced last year to support the building of our Dreadnought-class submarines. In addition, the Prime Minister announced that an additional £3 billion will be provided to the MOD over the next two years, which will be spent in a number of areas including modernising the UK’s nuclear enterprise and funding the next phase of the AUKUS submarine programme. This will be followed by sustained funding over the next decade to support the SSN-AUKUS programme. Australia has also committed to a proportionate financial investment in the UK submarine industrial base. Regarding the development of nuclear skills, on 1 August 2023, the Government announced a Nuclear Skills Taskforce. This will directly support AUKUS activity within the wider nuclear sector, bringing together government, private sector employers and academia to meet nuclear skills growth opportunities, and unleash a new generation of nuclear technology.