A Fife MP has branded a project to dismantle decaying nuclear submarines a “taxpayers’ nightmare” as the Government admitted the faltering programme has been hit by further delays.
Douglas Chapman said that news would be of “grave concern” to his Rosyth constituents, whose community is currently home to seven decommissioned military subs.
The SNP MP for Dunfermline and West Fife made the comments after questioning the Minister for Defence Procurement in Parliament this week.
The project to dismantle defunct submarines has repeatedly been hit by delays over the years, and Mr Chapman was concerned the coronavirus pandemic would delay decommissioning work even further.
Previous estimates have put the cost of disposing of a submarine at £96 million, while the MoD put its total future liability for maintaining and disposing of the country’s 20 stored and 10 in-service nuclear-powered boats at £7.5 billion over the next 120 years.
“Any delay in the submarine dismantling programme is of grave concern to my Dunfermline and West Fife constituency, where we accommodate many of these redundant submarines,” he said.
In 2019 the Public Accounts Committee labelled the UK Government’s “continued failure” to progress submarine disposal “unacceptable” – and called for a significant amount of work to be completed over the next decade.
This week Minister Jeremy Quin admitted the pandemic had led to “some small delays” in scrapping the subs, but claimed the Government was committed to completing the project “in a safe and swift way”.
However, Mr Chapman says his constituents deserve better given they have already put up with decades of dither and delay.
He said: “For years I’ve been calling for some real progress to be made in getting these subs scrapped and out of my constituency.
“To hear there have been further delays is a kick in the teeth to the Rosyth community.
“Rest assured I’ll continue to keep up the pressure on the Government to get a move on with this, so Rosyth can be rid of these decrepit subs once and for all.”
In its report, the Public Accounts Committee noted the decommissioning project has already experienced delays of more than 10 years.
It said: “Delays have resulted from the department having to clarify policy through public consultations, but also through poor contractor performance and affordability constraints.”
Mr Quin has insisted that ministers have regular discussions with the Submarine Delivery Agency on the progress of the submarine dismantling project and the MOD holds regular discussions with the Office for Nuclear Regulation, which is “satisfied” with the safety performance at Rosyth dockyard.