Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 29, paragraph 3.23, of the Armed Forces Pay Body Review Report 2018, for what reason the Review Body’s recommendation of an across-the-board increase of 2.9 per cent in base pay for 2018-19 was not accepted.

For the 2018-19 award, the Government gave the Armed Forces a 2% consolidated uplift, and 0.9% as a bonus. The payment of a bonus element will ensure that total annual income will be increased by 2.9%, therefore meeting the spirit of the AFPRB recommendation.

This is the largest pay increase for the Armed Forces since 2010.

The Government values the advice of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) and works closely with them to ensure that they have all the evidence necessary to complete their work.