Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in levels of recruitment and retention in the armed forces on operational capacity.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The current Government inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention from the last administration, and we are committed to addressing this through a range of targets, initiatives and measures.
The Ministry of Defence continually monitors the recruitment and retention trends across the Armed Forces and makes assessments of the impact these trends may have on a particular capability as well as our overall operational capabilities. I hope that the hon. Member will understand that details on operational capacity are not made public to preserve the operational security of HM Armed Forces, but improving both recruitment and retention are priority areas for Armed Forces.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has help increase the speed of the delivery of Challenger 3 main battle tanks, in the context of the supply chain.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We are engaged with the supply chain and additional resources have been directed towards ensuring the materials required for Challenger 3 main battle tanks are available to meet the delivery timescales.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trained personnel is the Royal Navy short of in its full establishment.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As of 1 January 2025, the total Full-Time Trained Strength of the Royal Navy was 28,080. These figures are published on a quarterly basis and can be found at the following website - Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics: 2025 - GOV.UK. The Ministry of Defence cannot provide detail on headcount targets for security reasons.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with NATO allies on the (a) size, (b) composition and (c) remit of a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Secretary and the Chief of the Defence Staff met with counterparts in Paris last week to discuss the next steps for a coalition of the willing to defend Ukraine’s security – with 37 nations attending the military meeting, alongside NATO and EU representatives. This was followed by the Prime Minister hosting a call on 15 March with European counterparts, the NATO Secretary General and other world leaders to discuss support for Ukraine.
Our military planners convened again on 20 March to progress practical plans for how our militaries can support security guarantees for Ukraine’s future.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of European NATO's ability to fill capability gaps that would be created by a potential US troop withdrawal from Europe in (a) air defence, (b) intelligence-sharing and (c) rapid deployment forces.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
European security is this Government’s foreign and defence priority and NATO is the cornerstone of our defence. The Prime Minister has been clear that European Allies must take greater responsibility for our own security, spending more and producing more. The Ministry of Defence continues its work to ensure the UK and European Allies step up their contribution to NATO as part of our ‘NATO first’ defence strategy.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with NATO allies on the potential redistribution of military capabilities in Europe in the event of a significant reduction in US troop presence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
European security is this Government’s foreign and defence priority and NATO is the cornerstone of our defence. The Prime Minister has been clear that European Allies must take greater responsibility for our own security, spending more and producing more. The Ministry of Defence continues its work to ensure the UK and European Allies step up their contribution to NATO as part of our ‘NATO first’ defence strategy.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department has had with international partners on increasing the protection of undersea cables and pipelines, in the context of Russian maritime activity.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Subsea cables are critical to UK telecommunications digital infrastructure, and we are committed to maintaining and enhancing the security and resilience of that infra- structure. We continue to co-ordinate with HMG partners, particularly the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology who own subsea cables policy, as well as security partners, the subsea cables industry and international bodies, including NATO, to assess and respond to risks to subsea cables.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK troops that could be safely deployed in a peacekeeping capacity to Ukraine without abridging other defence and security commitments.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Discussions regarding how our military can support security guarantees for Ukraine’s future are ongoing.
I hope the hon. Member will understand that I can’t comment on operational details at this stage as revealing our force structure only helps Putin.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on designating a successor to the standard issue L85A3 service rifle.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The L85 rifle (‘SA80’) will be replaced over the coming decade through Project GRAYBURN.
The project has entered the concept phase, where the capability requirements are being identified and understood in depth.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of losses in (a) personnel and (b) ships on the capability of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Recruitment and retention of Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) personnel remains a priority. We welcome the recent agreement between the Government and the Maritime Trade Unions of a pay award for the RFA, which is a significant step forward in the plan for RFA reforms. These reforms will improve the wider employee offer for those serving in the RFA and ensure that it can continue to perform its vital role supporting the Royal Navy and our allies.
The retirement of RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler will have no impact on the RFA. Neither tanker was due to go to sea again and nor had they been to sea in years. The RFA continues to operate the newer Tide class tankers and is preparing for the introduction of all three Fleet Solid Support ships by 2032.