Minister for Defence Procurement visits Faslane

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin visited Scotland’s military personnel at Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HNMB) Clyde yesterday, which will be home to 8200 jobs and all the Royal Navy’s submarines by 2022.

In her first visit to the base, which is one of Scotland’s largest employment sites, Mrs Baldwin met with personnel from the Royal Navy’s submarine flotilla as well as the many employees and contractors who support the base.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said: “Scotland has long been central to the success of our Armed Forces and the investment we are making at Faslane is crucial to maintaining that and will make a huge contribution to the local economy, bringing vital job security to our people and their families.”

As one of the primary hubs for the Armed Forces in Scotland, HMNB Clyde is currently benefitting from over £500 million of investment which is being spent on the ship lift, sea walls, jetties and other major projects to ensure Faslane continues as a world leading naval base.

The Minister was given a tour of one of the Vanguard class submarines which carry the UK’s ballistic nuclear missile system – the ultimate guarantee of our nation’s safety.

She also saw the waterfront engineering support facilities including the giant ship lift, used to lift the 16,000 tonne submarines out of the water when maintenance work is needed.

In October Defence Secretary Michael Fallon started work on Vanguard’s successor the £1.3 billion Dreadnought programme when he carried out the first ‘steel cut’.

Scotland has long been central to the success of our Armed Forces and the investment we are making at Faslane is crucial to maintaining that and will make a huge contribution to the local economy, bringing vital job security to our people and their families.