Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) additional duties contracts, (b) voluntary training other duties agreements and (c) full time reserve soldier contracts are afforded under the Operation Fortify budget?

Operation FORTIFY was launched in December 2012 to deliver a sustainable Army Reserve. It focused the Army on the immediate work to grow the Volunteer Reserve; not only to deliver an increase in capability in line with increased numbers, but also to sustain a credible, usable and relevant Army Reserve as an enduring part of the whole force beyond 2019. Army Reserves are funded from within the overall Army Top Level Budget framework. As such, there is no additional budget directly attributed to Operation FORTIFY. Some Reserve initiatives, e.g. employer engagement and financial incentives for joining the Army Reserve, have also been funded through Future Reserves 20 and the Army Reserve Development Programme.