And the question was asked: "It's an Anti Air Warfare Destroyer, why does it need a flight deck?" Fortunately common sense prevailed - how else would they get the spares, mail, etc, and when not doing air defence they'd be doing other stuff where a helo is really useful.
You're joking right? Oh, you aren't...........
Regarding numbers, the First Sea Lord has stated that any more cuts will have a serious effect on operational capabilities.