Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to recruit armed forces personnel.

In a challenging labour market, we continue to apply an array of measures to support recruitment and retention and refine the Armed Forces’ offer including last year with the largest pay increase for more than two decades. Haythornthwaite Review teams have been stood up across Defence to implement all of Rick Haythornthwaite’s 67 recommendations, working to establish a reward and incentivisation architecture that will attract and retain the skills we need in the years ahead.