Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to accelerate training for new Armed Forces recruits to increase capacity to support the response to the covid-19 outbreak.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has placed over 20,000 personnel on standby to support Government's efforts to tackle COVID-19. We are in the process of providing extra training to our Service personnel to enhance their capabilities to assist in specific circumstances, such as driving oxygen tankers to enhance resilience within the NHS.

Our training programmes across the MOD are as efficient as is currently possible. There is a danger and liability concerns around deploying military personnel who have not been through our rigorous training programme, which provides practical skills as well as developing emotional intelligence and command capability.

The MOD stands ready to provide vital support to the Government where required and we are fully staffed and equipped to deal with any such requests.