Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the suspension of Navy Reservists until April 2021 on (a) the Royal Navy’s operational capability and (b) future recruitment for the regular Royal Navy.

The temporary cessation of some in-year Maritime Reserves activity will not impact on any Royal Navy operational tasking. Activity undertaken by those on FTRS or Additional Duties Commitments will continue as normal; as will some Transformation projects that are deemed critical to meeting future Royal Navy and Defence outputs.

The Maritime Reserve is an integral and highly valued part of the Royal Navy and this brief cessation of some activity will not affect Regular recruitment which is currently experiencing a surge of interest.