Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2026 to question 111268 on Ministry of Defence: Redundancy, how many civil service redundancies within his Department he plans to achieve through a) the targeted voluntary exit scheme and b) additional redundancies.

Applications for the voluntary exit scheme closed on 23 January 2026.

This is not a redundancy process but provides eligible employees with the opportunity to leave the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on a voluntary basis. The scheme is targeted at specific in-scope groups, based on future organisational needs, protecting areas of growth and retaining skills and talent.

As stated in my response to Question 111268, this exercise is ongoing and the number of exits will not be known until later in the year.

The Ministry of Defence will look to avoid redundancies wherever possible. If this becomes unavoidable, this will follow full and meaningful consultation with affected employees and Trade Unions.