Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by The Earl of Minto on 9 April (HL3588), whether they will now answer the question put, namely whether they were invited to participate in the Main Ground Combat System programme.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Interest in the Observer Status request was recognised by both nations. The next step will involve France and Germany convening a conference for prospective 'observers' to discuss administrative procedures before any formal invitation is made to adopt this status. No decision has yet been made regarding full participation in the Main Ground Combat System programme.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they were invited to participate in the recently announced Franco-German Main Ground Combat System which is intended to jointly provide a successor tank to the Leopard and Leclerc.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has requested observer status for the Main Ground Combat System programme.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the comments by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 14 January, and by the Secretary of State for Defence on 15 January, regarding global instability and possible conflicts, what immediate improvements they plan to make to national defence capabilities.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Command Paper 2023 (DCP23) set out how the Armed Forces and wider Defence would modernise and adapt to the changing context. We are investing over £50 billion in Defence to ensure we can protect the nation and help it prosper. We will continue to review our holdings of all essential expendable items, and will invest in such capabilities as complex weapons, general munitions, and operational spares stocks to meet the needs of sustained operations.
As DCP23 set out, strengthening our resilience is critical. That is why we will continue to work with our partners across Government to identify vulnerabilities and test how we would better secure and defend the homeland in times of war.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they believe that the Ministry of Defence still needs to employ 60,000 civilian personnel, in the light of the declining number of regular forces.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The size of the Regular Armed Forces and that of the Civilian workforce are not directly linked.
The breadth of tasks performed by Civilians in the MOD is significant; they perform over 200 different, vital roles and are key to the delivery of Defence outputs. Defence is unique in that it comprises a variety of workforce types including Civilians and both Regular and Reserve Service Personnel, which together, as the ‘Whole force’ is essential for providing the critical services which Defence delivers on behalf of the nation.
Following the Chancellor’s announcement on 2 October regarding the immediate cap on Civil Servant headcount over this spending review and further reductions longer term, Defence is engaging in broader strategic workforce planning activity to ensure it plays its part in delivering increased productivity and efficiency.
Defence, in line with other Government departments, segments its Civilian workforce by profession. The breadth of tasks performed by Civilians in the MOD is illustrated in ‘Defence in Numbers’ which shows some of the main professions that make up the Defence workforce. For security purposes we have not provided information about the number of Civil Servants who work in sensitive roles.
(Source: Defence in Numbers 2022 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1137992/UK_Defence_in_Numbers_2022.pdf
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what broad categories of employment the 60,000 civilian personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence fall into.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The size of the Regular Armed Forces and that of the Civilian workforce are not directly linked.
The breadth of tasks performed by Civilians in the MOD is significant; they perform over 200 different, vital roles and are key to the delivery of Defence outputs. Defence is unique in that it comprises a variety of workforce types including Civilians and both Regular and Reserve Service Personnel, which together, as the ‘Whole force’ is essential for providing the critical services which Defence delivers on behalf of the nation.
Following the Chancellor’s announcement on 2 October regarding the immediate cap on Civil Servant headcount over this spending review and further reductions longer term, Defence is engaging in broader strategic workforce planning activity to ensure it plays its part in delivering increased productivity and efficiency.
Defence, in line with other Government departments, segments its Civilian workforce by profession. The breadth of tasks performed by Civilians in the MOD is illustrated in ‘Defence in Numbers’ which shows some of the main professions that make up the Defence workforce. For security purposes we have not provided information about the number of Civil Servants who work in sensitive roles.
(Source: Defence in Numbers 2022 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1137992/UK_Defence_in_Numbers_2022.pdf
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current ratio of civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence against the total number of service personnel; and how this ratio compares with (1) the United States, and (2) France.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The table below details the total number of Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilians by year from April 2019 - April 2023.
As of 1 January 2023, the total of both MOD Civilians full time equivalent (FTE) and military service personnel stood at 213,590, of which 28% (60,288) were civilians.
Data for the United States and France is not held by MOD, therefore comparative data is not available.
MOD Total Civilians by Year, April 2019 - April 2023, FTE.
Year | 1April 2019 | 1 April 2020 | 1 April 2021 | 1 April 2022 | 1 April 2023 |
MIOD Total Civilians | 57,760 | 58,523 | 60,005 | 59,903 | 60,645 |
1. These figures include all MOD Civilians, including MOD Main Top Level Budgetary areas, Trading Fund and Executive Agencies, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally engaged civilians.
2. Figures are full time equivalent (FTE).
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civilians have been employed by the Ministry of Defence in each of the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The table below details the total number of Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilians by year from April 2019 - April 2023.
As of 1 January 2023, the total of both MOD Civilians full time equivalent (FTE) and military service personnel stood at 213,590, of which 28% (60,288) were civilians.
Data for the United States and France is not held by MOD, therefore comparative data is not available.
MOD Total Civilians by Year, April 2019 - April 2023, FTE.
Year | 1April 2019 | 1 April 2020 | 1 April 2021 | 1 April 2022 | 1 April 2023 |
MIOD Total Civilians | 57,760 | 58,523 | 60,005 | 59,903 | 60,645 |
1. These figures include all MOD Civilians, including MOD Main Top Level Budgetary areas, Trading Fund and Executive Agencies, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally engaged civilians.
2. Figures are full time equivalent (FTE).
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 1 February (HL4865), whether they have now established the cost of the repairs to HMS Prince of Wales; who is expected to pay those costs; and what is their current estimate of the date on which HMS Prince of Wales will return to active service.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
We remain committed to ensuring HMS Prince of Wales (PWLS) commences her operational programme, as planned, in Autumn 2023. This will include operational flying training and trials.
During this period the focus has been on achieving repairs whilst maximising opportunities for capability upgrades to ensure PWLS is prepared to become the UK Very High Readiness Strike Carrier in 2024. These upgrades have been conducted in parallel to ensure efficiency and value for money.
The estimated cost of repairs are expected to be approximately £25 million, however responsibility for payment has not yet been established therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 25 January (HL4866), whether they will now answer the question put; namely, whether the UK has the necessary (1) facilities, and (2) workforce, to increase the number of Challenger tank if required; and where they would be built.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land are the prime contractor for the currently agreed Challenger 3 upgrades and assembly will be completed in their Telford site.
In line with the Defence Secretary's statement on 16 January 2023, the number of Challenger 3 remains under review to ensure the Army's Main Battle Tank fleet is sufficient to meet Defence's needs.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect HMS Prince of Wales to return to active service; and who will bear the costs of the necessary repairs.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
HMS PRINCE OF WALES is expected to commence her operational programme, as planned, in Autumn 2023. However, an issue has also been identified with her port shaft and to prevent a similar defect occurring, rectification of this issue is expected to be completed prior to her planned departure.
The defects with HMS PRINCE OF WALES shafts are not believed to be a Class issue and HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH continues to undertake Strike Carrier duties until 2024 when HMS PRINCE OF WALES will take over as Very High Readiness Strike Carrier.
The cost of repairs and responsibility for payment has not yet been established and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing.