The Government shares the Committee’s acknowledgement of the importance of HMNB Devonport and HMNB Clyde for the AUKUS partnership and the wider UK Submarine Industrial Base. These sites are critical to supporting maintenance, regeneration, and operational output, and their performance directly underpins the Royal Navy’s ability to meet concurrent commitments. underinvestment in submarine dock infrastructure - a structural deficit with a long tail that cannot be reversed overnight. The consequences of that historic neglect are being felt now, and the Government is clear-eyed about the scale of the challenge it has inherited. Reflecting this criticality, the Ministry of Defence is making multi-billion, multi-decade investments in the redevelopment of HMNB Clyde (under the Clyde Transformation Programme) and HMNB Devonport (under Devonport Major Infrastructure Portfolio). This is to ensure both naval bases can support current options, successfully transition to the Dreadnought Class, support the Strategic Defence Review ambition for up to 12 SSNs and support the disposal of submarines. Recognising the need for a whole-of- government response, we have also established Team Plymouth as part of the Defence Growth Deals to ensure we can support and sustain the highly skilled workforce we need. While submarine availability remains under pressure, the Royal Navy continues to manage its force carefully to meet core operational obligations, including the Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD), NATO commitments and AUKUS activity. This includes balancing operational demand with maintenance cycles to protect long-term fleet health.