Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5463 on Army: Recruitment, how long does the British Army intend to continue the internal transfer bounty for the Parachute Regiment.
The internal transfer bounty for the Parachute Regiment has been in place since 15 November 2023 and will be in place until 31 March 2025 or until the allocated number of bounties have been taken up. Since 15 November, one person has completed training and 12 are in training to pass selection in the new year.
£150,000 has been budgeted in financial year 2023-24 to pay for these bounties.
The below table shows the strength of the Parachute Regiment between 2010-23. I am however withholding the workforce requirement as disclosure would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the British Army.
Year as at 01 April 2023 | Total Strength |
2010 | 2,290 |
2011 | 2,220 |
2012 | 2,250 |
2013 | 2,280 |
2014 | 2,200 |
2015 | 2,220 |
2016 | 2,200 |
2017 | 2,290 |
2018 | 2,200 |
2019 | 2,230 |
2020 | 2,240 |
2021 | 2,260 |
2022 | 2,110 |
2023 | 2,110 |
Source: Analysis (Army)
Notes/Caveats: