Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Full-Time Trade Trained Strength (FTTTS) of the Army is; and when he expects the Army's FTTTS to be reduced to 72,500.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As at 1 January 2024, the Full-Time Trade Trained Strength (FTTTS) of the British Army was 73,190. The Army is continuing to implement Future Soldier which will see a Regular Army of 73,000 by 2025.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to improve the (a) accommodation and (b) infrastructure for the Ministry of Defence Police at Devonport.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Navy Command, in conjunction with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, has maintained all Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) buildings at His Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport appropriately in accordance with policy.
An Establishment Management Plan has been conducted at HMNB Devonport and will be used in conjunction with the MDP Operational Policing Model review, once complete, to determine where further investment is required to support the long-term future of the MDP at HMNB Devonport.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the line management of the Ministry of Defence Police has moved to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many tanks are in service with the Army as of 19 April 2024.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I am withholding this information as it is held by the Ministry of Defence with a view to its publication, at an undetermined future date. This information will be published in the form of the UK Armed Forces Equipment and Formations 2024, which will be accessible here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-armed-forces-equipment-and-formations.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many individuals were employed by the Ministry of Defence Police in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The employment numbers for the Ministry of Defence Police on 31 March each year since 2020 are:
Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
MDP ¹ | 2643 | 2768 | 2701 | 2593 | 2407 |
NUCS ² | 227 | 235 | 230 | 221 | 211 |
Total | 2869 | 3003 | 2931 | 2814 | 2618 |
¹ Ministry of Defence Police officers
² Non-uniformed Civil Servants
The figures are based on Full Time Equivalents.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on the use of soldiers from the Military Provost Guard Service.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS) provides professional soldiers to meet armed security requirements at Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force and other Ministry of Defence bases in Great Britain.
The use of MPGS soldiers is determined by the relevant chain of command which will either be Army for those at Army establishments or, for other MOD sites, the Front Line Command holder.
The organisation and management of the MPGS is outlined within an appropriate Army Administrative Instruction.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many officers are employed by the Ministry of Defence Police; and whether he has made an estimate of the number officers that will be required in financial year 2025-26.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As at 31 March 2024, MDP employed 2,407 police officers. This figure is based on Full Time Equivalents.
The officer requirement for 2025-26 is dependent on a number of factors including operational need and changes in Defence priorities. Recruitment is kept under constant review and is driven by Defence requirements and takes account of the number of leavers and joiners at any given time.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Ministry of Defence Police's new operational policing model.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence Police’s Operational Policing Model (OPM) programme is subject to consultation and has yet to be rolled out across Defence. The aim of the OPM is to create an operational policing model which deploys police capability to take better advantage police skills, utilise technology where suitable and use other Defence security providers where more appropriate. It will support the Ministry of Defence’s policing needs in the 21st Century as well as enhance police officer skills making them more effective to protect Defence.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people (a) joined and (b) left the Ministry of Defence Police in the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
MDP Officer joiners and leavers in each financial year, to 31 March, are as follows:
Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Joiners | 275 | 404 | 322 | 248 | 253 | 125 |
Leavers | 286.5 | 266.53 | 190.79 | 311.05 | 353.98 | 308 |
MDP Non-uniformed Civil Servant joiners and leavers in each financial year, to 31 March, are as follows:
Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Joiners | 38.9 | 40.5 | 26.5 | 39.6 | 40 | 25.2 |
Leavers | 20.5 | 26.6 | 19.4 | 44.8 | 48.8 | 38.5 |
Figures are based on Full Time Equivalents.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to RAF Lossiemouth for maintenance issues relating to (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould in the since April 2022.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Callouts made to RAF Lossiemouth for maintenance issues since April 2022, are shown in the table below;
Roofing | Loss Heating & Hot Water | Electrical | Pest Control | Damp & Mould | TOTAL |
31 | 82 | 506 | 17 | 87 | 723 |