Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department classifies a soldier to be trained after they have completed (a) Phase 1 and (b) Phase 2 initial training.

On 29 June 2016, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence informed Parliament (HCWS49) that in future the Army plans to use Regular and Reserve Phase 1 trained personnel in response to crises within the UK. To reflect this, for both Regular and Reserve soldiers, the term 'Trained Strength' will include Phase 1 and Phase 2 Army personnel. This broader definition will be reflected in official statistics from 1 October 2016. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will continue to use their existing definitions of trained strength.