Q61 Chair: That does not answer the question. I understand that it was cancelled because we did not have the money, but is there now a capability gap?
Vice Admiral Lambert: There is a capability shortfall; it is a risk.
Q62 Chair: You cannot tell whether there is stuff coming round close to it?
Vice Admiral Lambert: In many areas, we try to mitigate that risk by a number of other capabilities. We will use our frigates, anti-submarine helicopters, etc, to mitigate some of that risk. Will it mitigate all of it? No, it will not.
Q63 Austin Mitchell: Is it not more than a risk? This aircraft serves a very useful purpose, and 3.21 tells us what its purposes are: it is long-range search and rescue, maritime counter-terrorism, gathering strategic intelligence, and protecting the nuclear deterrent, not to mention spotting all of these foreign fishing vessels pinching our fish, which is an extremely important use I think. Were those risks in not having a Nimrod accurately surveyed, when it was cancelled?
Vice Admiral Lambert: Yes, they were.
Q64 Austin Mitchell: The Hercules, insofar as it is a lumbering great thing, is not going to be adequate at doing those jobs. Some of the witnesses to the Defence Committee said that the other assets would provide only a "substandard replacement" of the Nimrod's capability. How accurate was your study of the risks? Are they not still serious?
Vice Admiral Lambert: There are risks. Are the provisions we put in substandard? No. We have contained the risks within each area. The main purpose of Nimrod was doing antisubmarine warfare, i.e. seeing what was below the ocean surface. The other tasks Nimrod did were because it was an aeroplane that was available to do those tasks. We are looking at a number of other aircrafts to do those tasks. As far as antisubmarine warfare goes, we have mitigated those risks within the bounds of our current capabilities and budget.
Q65 Matthew Hancock: Can I direct this line of questioning to Commodore Beverstock, because you were the SRO for Nimrod?
Q66 Chair: He is the SRO.
Commodore Beverstock: Yes.
Q67 Matthew Hancock: You are the SRO?
Commodore Beverstock: Inasmuch as it is no longer a programme.
Q68 Matthew Hancock: How come you are an SRO for a programme that is-
Commodore Beverstock: The programme has been cancelled.
Q69 Matthew Hancock: Quite. So are you the SRO for Nimrod?
Commodore Beverstock: Iam the SRO for antisubmarine warfare capability.
Stephen Barclay: The capability, not the project.
Q70 Matthew Hancock: You are the SRO for the capability, so you are the SRO for Astute, because-
Commodore Beverstock: Astute forms part of the projects that contribute to antisubmarine warfare capability.