Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's (a) staffing requirement is and (b) headcount as of 16 January 2024.

The staffing requirement for Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Personnel for Financial year 2023-24 is 1,713 personnel.

The headcount of the (RFA), as at 1 October 2023 was 1,675.

This is the most recently assured figure from Analysis-Navy and was published in the MOD Biannual Civilian Personnel Report October 2023 and can be located at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-biannual-civilian-personnel-report-october-2023

This figure includes personnel undergoing professional training before being considered fully deployable in their primary role.