Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the UK naval presence in the Strait of Hormuz.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The UK keeps its global military deployments, including its naval presence, under constant review to ensure it is aligned to changing threat levels; the Middle East is no different. The UK is committed to working with our maritime industry, and will take all necessary steps to protect our ships and citizens, and uphold freedom of navigation while urging de-escalation.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enhance protection of UK service personnel currently based in Iraq.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Coalition and NATO Mission Iraq have relocated non-essential personnel from Baghdad. The safety and security of personnel is of paramount importance and force protection measures are under constant review.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 November 2018 (HL10924), how the strength of the UK Armed Forces has changed since that answer; and what action they plan to take to meet the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2020 targets.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Since Earl Howe’s Written Answer on 1 November 2018, the Trained Strength of the Armed Forces has dropped from 139,788 on 1 July 2018 to 137,409 on 1 July 2019.
It remains a priority for each Service to meet the target for Armed Forces personnel strength in 2020, and there are a range of measures both already in progress and in the pipeline to improve the position. These include the introduction of the Armed Forces People Programme to modernise aspects of the employment offer, including scope for flexible working and the Future Accommodation Model.
The strength of the Armed Forces is published every three months and can be found in Table 3a of the UK Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2019
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current shortfall in personnel in the (1) Army, (2) Royal Marines, (3) Royal Navy, (4) Royal Air Force; what effect this has had on leave arrangements for members of those services; and what has been the impact on the health and wellbeing of members of the armed forces.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Information on the current strength of the UK Armed Forces, including a breakdown by Service, can be found at Excel Table 3A of the UK Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2018.
A copy of Table 3a is attached.
Although the Armed Forces' strengths are below the target level they continue to meet all operational commitments. Our approach to monitoring capability "pinch points" helps to identify risks in a timely fashion so we can respond appropriately. We are very conscious of the leave and welfare needs of the Armed Forces and closely monitor the impact on the individuals, particularly in areas where there are shortages.