Defence – in the House of Commons am ar 8 Ionawr 2024.
Will Quince
Ceidwadwyr, Colchester
What steps his Department is taking to recruit armed forces personnel.
Andrew Murrison
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence
We continue to apply an array of measures to support recruitment and retention and refine the armed forces offer. Those include financial incentives, flexible service and an improved accommodation offer. The Haythornthwaite review has a key part to play, and teams have been stood up across the Ministry of Defence to implement all 67 recommendations, working to establish a reward and incentive architecture that will attract and retain skills.
Will Quince
Ceidwadwyr, Colchester
Colchester is the proud home of 16 Air Assault Brigade, the army’s rapid reaction force. My right hon. Friend knows Colchester well. What steps is he taking to promote recruitment into the parachute regiment based at Merville barracks in Colchester, one of the UK’s newest and most vibrant cities, where recruits will be embraced by our local community?
Andrew Murrison
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence
My hon. Friend and I both have an affection for the city of Colchester. The regiment continues to meet its operational requirements. There is currently an internal transfer bounty scheme that offers a Haythornthwaite-compliant £7,500 to infantry private soldiers on successful transfer to the parachute regiment. That supports the army in moving towards its future soldier structure, and will certainly be of assistance to the regiment.
Derek Twigg
Llafur, Halton
Despite the answer the Minister gave to Will Quince, the fact remains that this year retention and recruitment into the armed forces is becoming a serious crisis. What is the current difference between intake and outflow for the three services?
Andrew Murrison
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence
I am more than happy to write to the hon. Gentleman with the detailed breakdown per service, broken down into regulars and reserves. He is right to point out that right across the western world there is a crisis in retention and recruitment into the armed forces, but I hope that the measures that I described in answer to earlier questions indicate how we are trying to address that, not least by increasing the pay to members of our armed forces, especially the most junior.
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