Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to promote careers in the Armed Forces among young people in Northern Ireland.

The current Government inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention from the last administration. Since July 2024 we have taken decisive measures to redress the recruitment crisis, to attract and recruit more from across the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland, as well as maximise the number of applicants that successfully enter and remain in Armed Forces employment. Policies have included one of the largest pay increases in the last 20 years for existing personnel, slashing the time it takes to access medical records from weeks to hours and restructuring the Army’s recruitment organisation.

These activities and their impacts will inform the development of the Armed Forces Recruitment Service which is being implemented to further improve the speed with which highly motivated and capable people can join our Armed Forces, wherever they are from across the United Kingdom. The results are clear: year on year inflow is up 19%, outflow is down 7%, the Navy’s yearly recruiting target has been exceeded, the RAF’s applications are up 34% compared to early 2024, and the Army is seeing a seven-year high in applications.

In addition to the existing national recruitment campaigns including online material, the Services conduct recruitment that is tailored to Northern Ireland. The Services use Outreach stands to facilitate face to face recruitment and attend recruitment fairs such as the UK Careers Fair Belfast and the NI Graduate Recruitment Fair. They also attend local events such as the Portrush Airshow and the Northern Ireland Armed Forces Day.