Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 29, of the National Audit Office report, Investigation into equipment cannibalisation in the Royal Navy, published on 1 November 2017, what steps his Department has taken to improve Defence Equipment and Support and Royal Navy Inventory manager skills.

To improve the skills of staff at all levels working in the inventory management function, both Defence Equipment and Support and the Royal Navy have introduced mandatory training, leading to the award of a licence to operate.

The shortfall in specialist logistics and commercial roles reported by the National Audit Office is due to the need to qualify individuals currently in post, together with the number of vacant posts. The Submarine Delivery Agency has been addressing these issues and recruitment activity has now led to 97% of posts being filled. Of those, 70% of individuals are already fully licensed to operate as an inventory manager. For the Royal Navy, the most recent assessment is that 88% of staff undertaking inventory management roles are trained and qualified.

Information on the shortfall in trained and qualified inventory management staff in Defence Equipment and Support navy supply teams has only been held centrally for the last four years and is shown below: