We protect the security, independence and interests of our country at home and abroad. We work with our allies and partners whenever possible. Our aim is to ensure that the armed forces have the training, equipment and support necessary for their work, and that we keep within budget.
In 2021, the Defence Sub-Committee, chaired by Sarah Atherton MP, conducted an inquiry into Women in the Armed Forces and …
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Ministry of Defence does not have Bills currently before Parliament
A Bill to continue the Armed Forces Act 2006; to amend that Act and other enactments relating to the armed forces; to make provision about service in the reserve forces; to make provision about pardons for certain abolished service offences; to make provision about war pensions; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 15th December 2021 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to Make provision about legal proceedings and consideration of derogation from the European Convention on Human Rights in connection with operations of the armed forces outside the British Islands.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 29th April 2021 and was enacted into law.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
We are demanding that the government treats Gurkhas fairly and pays them the same pension as other British veterans of the same rank and service. Many Gurkhas joined the Queen’s Gurkha Army believing their pension would sustain them and their families but sadly this has not been the case.
Replace the real bearskins used for the Queen’s Guard’s caps with faux fur
Gov Responded - 11 Feb 2022 Debated on - 11 Jul 2022There is no excuse for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to continue to effectively fund the slaughter of bears for ceremonial headgear since an indistinguishable alternative has been produced, which is waterproof, and mimics real bear fur in appearance and performance.
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
The Joint Electronic Surveillance (JES), Force Protection Electronic Counter Measures, (FPECM), and Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) delivery teams’ total spend on equipment by financial year is as follows:
FY | Total spend £million |
2019-20 | £128.171m |
2020-21 | £146.601m |
2021-22 | £120.897m |
2022-23 | £168.069m |
The Joint Electronic Surveillance (JES), Force Protection Electronic Counter Measures, (FPECM), and Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) delivery teams’ total spend on operating costs by financial year is as follows:
FY | Total spend £million |
2019-20 | £11.648m |
2020-21 | £12.644m |
2021-22 | £12.602m |
2022-23 | £14.107m |
The Joint Electronic Surveillance (JES), Force Protection Electronic Counter Measures, (FPECM), and Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) delivery teams are specific project teams in DE&S and the figures above represent the total spend of those teams. The figures do not represent the total spend on all electronic warfare or chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear projects across Defence which would not be held centrally and would not be answerable without a disproportionate cost.
The New Medium Helicopter competition includes a 10% weighting for social value in line with the Cabinet Office Social Value Model and guidance. The competition also includes an additional 15% weighting for UK industrial capability which includes essential industrial considerations, spanning design, production, manufacture and importantly, export potential. This is intended to ensure that the New Medium Helicopter contract will secure the vital operational independence we require, as well as investing in UK skills for the long-term and demonstrates the UK Government’s commitment to the Defence & Security Industrial Strategy.
The New Medium Helicopter competition includes a 10% weighting for social value in line with the Cabinet Office Social Value Model and guidance. The competition also includes an additional 15% weighting for UK industrial capability which includes essential industrial considerations, spanning design, production, manufacture and importantly, export potential. This is intended to ensure that the New Medium Helicopter contract will secure the vital operational independence we require, as well as investing in UK skills for the long-term and demonstrates the UK Government’s commitment to the Defence & Security Industrial Strategy.
The New Medium Helicopter competition includes a 10% weighting for social value in line with the Cabinet Office Social Value Model and guidance. The competition also includes an additional 15% weighting for UK industrial capability which includes essential industrial considerations, spanning design, production, manufacture and importantly, export potential. This is intended to ensure that the New Medium Helicopter contract will secure the vital operational independence we require, as well as investing in UK skills for the long-term and demonstrates the UK Government’s commitment to the Defence & Security Industrial Strategy.
The DE&S Remote Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) delivery team total spend on equipment by financial year is as follows:
FY | Total spend |
2019-20 | 222.376 |
2020-21 | 235.916 |
2021-22 | 395.316 |
2022-23 | 401.739 |
The RPAS total spend on operating costs by financial year is as follows:
FY | Total spend |
2019-20 | 15.495 |
2020-21 | 16.219 |
2021-22 | 18.434 |
2022-23 | 16.768 |
The RPAS is a specific project team in DE&S and the figures above represent the total spend of that team. The figure does not represent the total spend on all remote piloted air system projects across Defence which would not be held centrally and would not be answerable without a disproportionate cost.
Details of the number of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in the UK Armed Forces are published on an annual basis on the gov.uk website. The most recent publication can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-equipment-and-formations-2023
For reasons of operational sensitivity we do not release figures on the current availability of any platform.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) can provide details of VAT paid (both recoverable and non-recoverable) by MOD’s main VAT registration for the previous four financial years. During this period, we have paid a total of £20.9 billion in VAT.
VAT paid but recovered from HMRC £million | VAT paid and not-recovered £million | Total VAT, £ million | |
FY2019/20 | 1,835 | 3,005 | 4,840 |
FY2020/21 | 1,955 | 3,026 | 4,981 |
FY2021/22 | 2,132 | 3,143 | 5,275 |
FY2022/23 | 2,200 | 3,607 | 5,807 |
Total | 8,122 | 12,781 | 20,903 |
The total value of Employer National Insurance costs between FY 2010-11 and FY 2022-23 are shown in the table below.
Year | Departmental Group Total |
£million | |
2022-23 | 951.5 |
2021-22 | 870.3 |
2020-21 | 858.1 |
2019-20 | 811.1 |
2018-19 | 794.6 |
2017-18 | 802.3 |
2016-17 | 778.5 |
2015-16 | 586.5 |
2014-15 | 611.7 |
2013-14 | 631.4 |
2012-13 | 658.2 |
2011-12 | 689.2 |
2010-11 | 681.7 |
The Multi-Role Support Ship Programme is currently in its pre-concept phase, which has included the exploration of opportunities to collaborate with the Netherlands on common design options, interoperability, and equipment commonality. The focus is on determining the requirement and on setting the programme up for success, with work ongoing to ensure affordability.
The UK continues to have a strong and enduring relationship with the amphibious forces of the Netherlands, and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Netherlands last year reaffirmed that commitment. The intent will be collaborate and co-operate across the amphibious and littoral domains, both in developing equipment capability, interoperability and exploiting training opportunities to mutual benefit.
The Multi-Role Support Ship Programme is currently in its pre-concept phase, which has included the exploration of opportunities to collaborate with the Netherlands on common design options, interoperability, and equipment commonality. The focus is on determining the requirement and on setting the programme up for success, with work ongoing to ensure affordability.
The UK continues to have a strong and enduring relationship with the amphibious forces of the Netherlands, and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Netherlands last year reaffirmed that commitment. The intent will be collaborate and co-operate across the amphibious and littoral domains, both in developing equipment capability, interoperability and exploiting training opportunities to mutual benefit.
I will respond to the hon. Member shortly.
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor (Alex Chalk) to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) on 25 January 2023 to Question 128600.
The Department does not hold this information centrally and it can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The information requested, by financial year (FY), is below:-
FY2018-19 – Nil
FY2019-20 – Nil
FY2020-21 – Nil
FY2021-22 – Four (0.1%)
FY2022-23 – Four (0.1%)
None of the Ajax-related Noise-Induced Hearing Loss claims have yet settled.
Ministerial transport will vary and is always decided with consideration to the best use of time and interests of the taxpayer. As a whole, domestic flights allow Ministers and members of their office to visit more parts of the United Kingdom in the time available, particularly areas further away from London, and reduce the need for overnight accommodation. All travel decisions are made with consideration for security and time restraints. It is not the convention to provide granular detail on the movements of protected individuals.
Ministerial transport will vary and is always decided with consideration to the best use of time and interests of the taxpayer. As a whole, domestic flights allow Ministers and members of their office to visit more parts of the United Kingdom in the time available, particularly areas further away from London, and reduce the need for overnight accommodation. All travel decisions are made with consideration for security and time restraints. It is not the convention to provide granular detail on the movements of protected individuals.
The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial travel, including costs of travel, and on other costs (visas, accommodation, meals). As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers' travel at home or abroad.
It is not possible to re-consider aspects of Boards of Inquiry held in the past without full reinvestigation of the original incident. It would not be in the public interest to re-open any such inquiries, where it is deemed there are no lessons to be identified for the Service, such as when aircraft are no longer in service. The likely complexity of such work due to the passage of time and the need to re-allocate Departmental resources are also significant considerations.
In 1997 Defence Ministers directed that BOI should not be permitted to attribute blame or negligence in cases of unnatural death or serious injury. Subsequently, in 2008, Boards of Inquiry were replaced by Service Inquiries under the Armed Forces Act 2006, separating accident investigation from the operational chain of command.
Service Inquiries (SI) are not permitted to find negligence or apportion blame, in order to encourage an open reporting culture, and to ensure that full and frank evidence be provided to SI panels.
Although the UK has not nominated a candidate to the Executive Committee this year, we are represented on the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives (NCGP) and are working closely with the Chair to formulate the programme of work for the next two years. The UK has been instrumental in updating the NCGP Terms of Reference to increase its influence and strengthen the Women, Peace and Security agenda at NATO.
The affected Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boiler Range (2401-0138) were installed in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties from August 2022 to early January 2024.
It is not known when Ideal first discovered this issue. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) officials were made aware of potential fire safety issues relating to these boilers on 31 January 2024 and have interpreted Ideal’s risk assessment of the boiler fault occurring as very low. There was no requirement to inform Ministers, as this is routine Departmental business, however the Minister for Defence Procurement received a submission on this on 12 March 2024.
DIO has communicated the recall via MOD stakeholders for cascade to Service personnel, through DIO’s Families First newsletter and via gov.uk; this week, a letter will be/has been issued to all Service Families living in SFA.
Ideal will cover all costs of repairs and installations, therefore there will be no cost to the Department.
DIO has identified 1,626 SFA which have the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boilers (2401-0138) installed.
The affected Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boiler Range (2401-0138) were installed in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties from August 2022 to early January 2024.
It is not known when Ideal first discovered this issue. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) officials were made aware of potential fire safety issues relating to these boilers on 31 January 2024 and have interpreted Ideal’s risk assessment of the boiler fault occurring as very low. There was no requirement to inform Ministers, as this is routine Departmental business, however the Minister for Defence Procurement received a submission on this on 12 March 2024.
DIO has communicated the recall via MOD stakeholders for cascade to Service personnel, through DIO’s Families First newsletter and via gov.uk; this week, a letter will be/has been issued to all Service Families living in SFA.
Ideal will cover all costs of repairs and installations, therefore there will be no cost to the Department.
DIO has identified 1,626 SFA which have the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boilers (2401-0138) installed.
The affected Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boiler Range (2401-0138) were installed in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties from August 2022 to early January 2024.
It is not known when Ideal first discovered this issue. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) officials were made aware of potential fire safety issues relating to these boilers on 31 January 2024 and have interpreted Ideal’s risk assessment of the boiler fault occurring as very low. There was no requirement to inform Ministers, as this is routine Departmental business, however the Minister for Defence Procurement received a submission on this on 12 March 2024.
DIO has communicated the recall via MOD stakeholders for cascade to Service personnel, through DIO’s Families First newsletter and via gov.uk; this week, a letter will be/has been issued to all Service Families living in SFA.
Ideal will cover all costs of repairs and installations, therefore there will be no cost to the Department.
DIO has identified 1,626 SFA which have the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boilers (2401-0138) installed.
The affected Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boiler Range (2401-0138) were installed in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties from August 2022 to early January 2024.
It is not known when Ideal first discovered this issue. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) officials were made aware of potential fire safety issues relating to these boilers on 31 January 2024 and have interpreted Ideal’s risk assessment of the boiler fault occurring as very low. There was no requirement to inform Ministers, as this is routine Departmental business, however the Minister for Defence Procurement received a submission on this on 12 March 2024.
DIO has communicated the recall via MOD stakeholders for cascade to Service personnel, through DIO’s Families First newsletter and via gov.uk; this week, a letter will be/has been issued to all Service Families living in SFA.
Ideal will cover all costs of repairs and installations, therefore there will be no cost to the Department.
DIO has identified 1,626 SFA which have the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boilers (2401-0138) installed.
The affected Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boiler Range (2401-0138) were installed in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties from August 2022 to early January 2024.
It is not known when Ideal first discovered this issue. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) officials were made aware of potential fire safety issues relating to these boilers on 31 January 2024 and have interpreted Ideal’s risk assessment of the boiler fault occurring as very low. There was no requirement to inform Ministers, as this is routine Departmental business, however the Minister for Defence Procurement received a submission on this on 12 March 2024.
DIO has communicated the recall via MOD stakeholders for cascade to Service personnel, through DIO’s Families First newsletter and via gov.uk; this week, a letter will be/has been issued to all Service Families living in SFA.
Ideal will cover all costs of repairs and installations, therefore there will be no cost to the Department.
DIO has identified 1,626 SFA which have the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boilers (2401-0138) installed.
The RAF has already started its standard Capability Investigation process into the future of combat aircrew training; this comprehensive review will include the approach to the procurement of the replacement of the current Advanced Jet Trainer capability. The investigation will consider options for aircraft, simulators and associated combined live / virtual training, such that we can continue to deliver a world-class training capability for the UK Armed Forces.
The Capability Investigation's findings are expected later this year and will provide evidence on likely costs and timing of the replacement training solution to the Hawk T2.
The RAF has already started its standard Capability Investigation process into the future of combat aircrew training; this comprehensive review will include the approach to the procurement of the replacement of the current Advanced Jet Trainer capability. The investigation will consider options for aircraft, simulators and associated combined live / virtual training, such that we can continue to deliver a world-class training capability for the UK Armed Forces.
The Capability Investigation's findings are expected later this year and will provide evidence on likely costs and timing of the replacement training solution to the Hawk T2.
The UK has excellent sovereign capabilities, but these are enhanced and extended by our international alliances. The Government recently published it response to the Intelligence and Security Committee Report on 'International Partnerships', and welcomes the important oversight provided by the Committee. The Ministry of Defence remains committed to broadening and deepening our relationships with Germany and allies, who make an invaluable contribution to the safety and security of the UK.
Since 15 February 2024 no new contracts have been placed through the International Fund for Ukraine.
Two contract amendment have been placed to provide additional air defence ammunition, tracks and engines for Armoured Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine.
The third International Fund for Ukraine Urgent Bidding Round launched in January 2024.
The recent decision by the Government of Australia to contribute to the International Fund for Ukraine increases the money available within the Fund for the purchase of critical capabilities for Ukraine.
I am withholding the information requested as its release would prejudice commercial interests.
Maintenance for the Hawk T2 airframe is provided under the Hawk Integrated Support Solution (HISS) contract (airframe). The HISS Contract price from April 2023 to March 2024 is £56 million.
Additionally, the Adour 951 engine is supported by the Hawk Engine Support Solution (HESS) contract. The HESS Contract price from April 2023 to March 2024 is £7.88 million.
The engine life of the Rolls-Royce Adour 951 engine is currently limited to 1,700 flying hours due to safety limitations which were introduced following the discovery of damage affecting some engine components.
Number of UK Armed Forces Service personnel deployed in Singapore since 2010:
2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
0 | ~ | 0 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ~ | 10 | 0 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
The UK also has military personnel stationed in Singapore in the British High Commission as part of its Defence Section and the British Defence Staff Southeast Asia, as well as part of the British Defence Singapore Support Unit. Full details are in the table below.
Number of UK Regulars stationed in Singapore as at 1 January since 2010:
2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
10 | 10 | 10 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | ~ | 10 |
Deployed personnel are defined here as military personnel who are deployed on operations. Navy personnel who have been deployed on a ship are not included in deployment figures for countries even if the operation that they are deployed on includes duties in the country or countries mentioned in the above figures. Deployment data are derived from the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) `Move and Track` system, which records all personnel who enter a deployment theatre for over 24hrs. Figures of 5 or fewer are represented by ‘~’.
The number of ships that have visited Singapore in each year since 2010 are shown in the table below:
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Number of Ships | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
As of 1 January 2024, there were 1,040 Regular Army Personnel serving in the Ranger Regiment.
Please note the following notes/caveats from Analysis (Army):
Since 2021, the British Army’s Ranger Regiment has conducted 691 deployments.
Sheffield Forgemasters received £4,224,812 of funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero sponsored Nuclear Innovation Programme between July 2019 and June 2023.
The Ministry of Defence has a robust information and data classification policy that enables information to be stored, processed and shared securely with our international partners. The policy is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it remains appropriate to the threats we face and communications are carried out on systems with controls proportionate for the classification level.
The first table shows the Basic Training untrained intake for Reserve Officers and Other Ranks by financial year.
Table 1. Reserve FR20 Untrained Intake to Phase 1 by Officers / Other Ranks
Financial Year | Total | Officers | Other Ranks |
2012/13 | 2,650 | 60 | 2,600 |
2013/14 | 1,270 | 50 | 1,220 |
2014/15 | 2,890 | 110 | 2,780 |
2015/16 | 3,500 | 200 | 3,300 |
2016/17 | 3,020 | 160 | 2,860 |
2017/18 | 2,380 | 160 | 2,220 |
2018/19 | 1,870 | 120 | 1,750 |
2019/20 | 2,680 | 160 | 2,520 |
2020/21 | 2,270 | 170 | 2,100 |
2021/22 | 2,400 | 110 | 2,290 |
2022/23 | 1,630 | 90 | 1,540 |
Source: Analysis (Army)
The second table shows the Basic Training untrained intake actuals and targets for Reserve Other Ranks by financial year. There are no targets for Officers.
The actuals in the second column differ from the Other Ranks figures above; this is explained in Notes 4 and 5 below.
Table 2. Reserve Group A Other Ranks Untrained Intake to Phase 1 Actuals and Targets
Financial Year | Reserve Group A Other Ranks Untrained Intake Target | Reserve Group A Other Ranks Phase 1 Intake Actuals |
2012/13 | Not Held | 2,600 |
2013/14 | 1,550 | 1,220 |
2014/15 | 2,800 | 2,780 |
2015/16 | 5,000 | 3,300 |
2016/17 | 6,480 | 2,850 |
2017/18 | 4,760 | 2,210 |
2018/19 | 2,910 | 1,740 |
2019/20 | 2,800 | 2,500 |
2020/21 | 2,500 | 2,070 |
2021/22 | 2,820 | 2,250 |
2022/23 | 2,950 | 1,530 |
Source: Analysis (Army) & Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command (ARITC)
For the Regular Army, I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 January 2024 in answer to PQ7264: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-12-18/7264 which shows the Basic Training Starts (BTS) Targets for British Army Other Ranks by financial year.
Notes/Caveats:
The table shows the cost of the Army’s recruitment advertising costs by financial year.
Media Name | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2202-23 |
£231,425 | £576,454 | £494,971 | £532,996.82 | £606,351 | |
Snapchat | £79,903 | £130,020 | £204,345 | £388,521.19 | £479,342.14 |
£55,431 | £203,164 | £129,277 | £196,164.98 | £90,000 | |
Display | £1,292,885 | £3,506,037 | £3,804,808 | £3,500,017 | £2,309,891 |
Out of Home | £287,000 | £451,614 | £190,000 | £200,000 | £150,000 |
Radio | £388,980 | £1,813,738 | £859,134 | £1,045,000 | £964,998 |
Paid Search | £209,532 | £699,264 | £1,153,600 | £1,355,525 | £1,165,874.32 |
TV | £1,992,500 | £3,076,945 | £4,429,580 | £2,524,105 | £3,594,987 |
Please note the following notes/caveats:
From 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2023, a total of 527 Service personnel sustained injuries from parachuting. Of these:
There was one fatality as a result of parachuting in 2021.
This information was drawn from a number of databases and relied on manual data extraction based on specific search terms.
The type of injury was identified from a number of different variables in the data including the free text narrative of the description of the incident. The MOD Health and Safety systems are not medical databases and do not contain clinical diagnoses. The databases are also live and therefore information is subject to change or revisions. As a result, there is a risk of inconsistency with the data, and the returns may not be exhaustive.
Any records that did not contain one of the search terms used has been categorised as ‘other’. These are reported conditions including but not limited to sprains, pain, bruising and lacerations.
This question has been interpreted as spend on advertising for Recruitment. With regards to the figures for 2017, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House
Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Spend £ | 742,162 | 9,453,479 | 8,334,191 | 2,820,455 | 8,541,160 | 11,240,860 | 2,209,334. |
Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Facebook/Inst | £52,735 | £887,324 | £874,933 | £310,407 | £158,550 | £610,013 | £179,662 |
SnapChat |
| £63,001 | £178,558 | £6,663 | £542,277 | £654,943 | £175,206 |
|
| £48,384 | £11,152 | £83,269 | £4,992 |
|
Information required to answer the question is not held centrally and will take time to collate. I will write to the right hon. Member as soon as the information is available.
Please see the table below for the recruitment target and number personnel recruited to the Royal Navy in each year since 2010:
Recruiting Year | Target* | Intake** |
2010-2011 | 1332 | 1331 |
2011-2012 | 1472 | 1464 |
2012-2013 | 1692 | 1642 |
2013-2014 | 2274 | 2144 |
2014-2015 | 2237 | 2176 |
2015-2016 | 2576 | 2192 |
2016-2017 | 2779 | 2311 |
2017-2018 | 2843 | 2284 |
2018-2019 | 3043 | 2365 |
2019-2020 | 3009 | 2637 |
2020-2021 | 3175 | 2925 |
2021-2022 | 2963 | 2494 |
2022-2023 | 2738 | 2001 |
* Source Recruit and Attract, Navy Directorate of Personnel and Training
**Source: Analysis Navy
It is taking time to collate the information requested for the Maritime Reserve, therefore I will write to the right hon. Member once this process is complete.
Our response to the Review was published in December 2023. The Government accepts the principle and intended outcome of all the review’s recommendations and is currently working to deliver them.
There are several recommendations which the Ministry of Defence is already actively taking forward, including the retirement of the Veterans UK brand, and the transformation of the way we deliver welfare support to ensure a consistently high level of service. The response sets out our commitment and high-level plans, and further detail will be made available in due course as we make progress.
To date seven countries have contributed £896 million to the International Fund for Ukraine. These contributions are set out in the following table:
Country | Contribution in £million |
Denmark | 133 |
Iceland | 3 |
Lithuania | 5 |
Netherlands | 110 |
Norway | 119 |
Sweden | 26 |
UK | 500 |
Australia and New Zealand have recently announced their intention to contribute 50 million Australian dollars and 6.5 million New Zealand dollars to the International Fund for Ukraine.
The International Fund for Ukraine has committed £344 million across 27 contracts. To date, £131 million has been spent on these contracts.
The Secretary of State for Defence held a secure phone call with Boris Pistorius, the German Federal Minister of Defence, on 4 March 2024. They discussed the specifics of the incident itself, and Minister Pistorius set out the steps that Germany is taking to investigate and to prevent future incidents. The investigation itself is a matter for the German Government, but the Secretary of State for Defence has full faith that Germany is handling the matter appropriately. While it is right that we treat this matter very seriously, we must also be very clear that Putin leaked this call in an attempt to drive a wedge between us and weaken the West's collective support for Ukraine; we must not let that happen and we must show that we are united and resolved to support Ukraine for the long term.