Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Full-Time Trade Trained Strength (FTTTS) of the Army is; and when he expects the Army's FTTTS to be reduced to 72,500.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As at 1 January 2024, the Full-Time Trade Trained Strength (FTTTS) of the British Army was 73,190. The Army is continuing to implement Future Soldier which will see a Regular Army of 73,000 by 2025.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Air Force operated planes have flown to Israel since 2 February 2024.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
From 2 February 2024 to 23 April 2024, nine RAF operated planes have flown to Israel.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the air defences of the Falkland Islands in the context of the recent procurement by Argentina of F-16 jets from Denmark.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We keep our defence posture in the South Atlantic under regular review to take account of the full range of developments. I am satisfied that the current military presence in the South Atlantic is at the appropriate level to ensure the defence of the Islands.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long the vanguard-class submarines have been on patrol at sea on average in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Royal Navy has successfully maintained Operation RELENTLESS, the Continuous At Sea Deterrent, for an unbroken 55 years. We do not disclose details of the Operation, including the duration of time spent at sea, as such information could be used to undermine the security and capability of the mission and our personnel.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to evaluate the effectiveness of the impact on bilateral relations of its military training programmes abroad.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Military training is an important part of our bilateral defence relationship with many countries, helping to build influence, understanding and interoperability. All training is considered and evaluated on a case-by-case basis using insight from our defence attaches at post, other parts of the global defence network, and set against broader defence and wider Government objectives. Feedback is also received from training recipients which can be used to shape potential further opportunities. Wider Defence engagement is also monitored and evaluated as part of Defence's annual review cycles.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what maritime assets are being sent to the Middle East following Iran's drone and missile attack on Israel.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As of 22 April 2024, there are no plans to reposition additional maritime assets to the Middle East. However, the UK remains ready to respond to the evolving situation as required. The Ministry of Defence has bolstered its contribution to maritime security in the region with the deployment of HMS Diamond, in support of Op PROSPERITY GUARDIAN, joining HMS Lancaster deployed in support of the long standing Op KIPION.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 15 April 2024 on Iran-Israel Update, Official Report, column 23, how many RAF (a) Typhoons and (b) planes were deployed to intercept Iranian drones fired into Israel on 13 April 2024; and what steps he is taking to protect service personnel in the region.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As stated by the Prime Minister on 15 April 2024, the RAF sent additional aircraft to the region and RAF aircraft shot down a number of Iranian attack drones. However, for operational security reasons I cannot comment on the specifics of this activity. The Ministry of Defence constantly reviews its force protection measures to ensure they are appropriate.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2024 to Question 21848 on Iran: Israel, what the basis was for UK military action in defence of Israel.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As stated by the Prime Minister in the Iran-Israel Update to Parliament on 15 April 2024 (Volume 748), the UK was acting in the collective self-defence of Israel and for regional security.
There are no plans to publish the legal advice, in line with long-standing precedent.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the line management of the Ministry of Defence Police has moved to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people (a) joined and (b) left the Ministry of Defence Police in the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
MDP Officer joiners and leavers in each financial year, to 31 March, are as follows:
Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Joiners | 275 | 404 | 322 | 248 | 253 | 125 |
Leavers | 286.5 | 266.53 | 190.79 | 311.05 | 353.98 | 308 |
MDP Non-uniformed Civil Servant joiners and leavers in each financial year, to 31 March, are as follows:
Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Joiners | 38.9 | 40.5 | 26.5 | 39.6 | 40 | 25.2 |
Leavers | 20.5 | 26.6 | 19.4 | 44.8 | 48.8 | 38.5 |
Figures are based on Full Time Equivalents.