Graeme Downie

I agree entirely. I was about to move on to talk about submarine recycling, something that is of course shared between Devonport and Rosyth. I have never been on a submarine while it has been in service, as my hon. Friend has. However, I was privileged to go on to HMS Swiftsure, which is currently being recycled at Rosyth dockyard. More than 60% has already been completed—more than 90% of it will be recycled and reused in other submarines and for other defence uses, including in Dreadnought, guaranteeing jobs across the UK as a vital part of the submarine supply chain. Something that I will repeat in this House over and over again is the need to take advantage of the highly skilled workforce we have at Rosyth, who are currently undertaking submarine recycling. Swiftsure having almost been finished, there are six further submarines currently sitting at Rosyth: Resolution, Churchill, Revenge, Renown, Repulse and HMS Dreadnought. It is quite something to think that we are about to have going into service a new HMS Dreadnought when the previous HMS Dreadnought is still sitting in Rosyth, waiting for something to be done to it. The skilled workforce there are ready to do that. If my hon. Friend the Minister is able to give me any update—I always ask for an update on the next stages of the submarine recycling programme— I would be very grateful, because there is a huge opportunity not only for UK submarines, but for that facility to become a centre of excellence for the world. This is something that has never been done before, but is now being done by the incredibly skilled team at Rosyth. I will finish by echoing the words of colleagues from across the House and saying that we must always remember the critical and unique role that submariners play in our defence. That has been echoed by the hon. Member for Dumfries and Galloway and others. They have spoken about the silent service and the pressures of not being in contact that both submariners and their families must endure. We should always be grateful not only to the submariners themselves, but to their families for allowing them to protect our country.