Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of reservists leaving the (1) army, (2) Royal Navy, and (3) Royal Air Force, in 2015.

Overall outflow figures for the Future Reserve 2020 (FR20) Volunteer Reserve in 2015 have fallen compared with previous years, with this fall driven primarily by the Army Reserve. This reflects the impact of a number of initiatives we have taken to improve the Reserves experience, such as better equipment and training, improved reward, and wider opportunities to serve alongside the Regulars as well as improving our relationships with employers.

Increases in outflow from the Maritime and RAF Reserves should be understood within the context of significant increases to their strengths over the period. As a proportion of their respective trained-strengths, outflow figures for the Maritime and RAF Reserves have been steady, and are sustainable and consistent with the FR20 programme and related targets. This is evidenced by the fact that the Maritime and RAF Reserves are currently above their April 2016 trained strength targets.

The attached tables provide detailed information on FR20 outflow and trained strength since 2013.