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Written Question
Armed Forces: Recruitment
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) army, (b) RAF and (c) Royal Navy careers fairs were carried out in each year since 2015.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Estimates from the single Services are provided in the tables below:

Army

Calendar Year

Number of Events

2015

1,331

2016

2,953

2017

1,335

2018

211

2019

471

2020

422

2021

505

2022

1,471

2023

1,971

Note: The low numbers recorded over 2018-19 are due to a switch of recording system. The 2020-21 numbers were significantly reduced due to COVID-19.

Royal Air Force

Financial Year (FY)

Number of Events

2018-19

275

2019-20

225

2020-21

110

2021-22

130

2022-23

220

2023-24

201

Note: Information prior to FY 2018-19 cannot be collated in the time available. The 2020-21 numbers were significantly reduced due to COVID-19. Figures include a variety of events from air shows, country shows, sporting events as well as the range of Graduate, Jobs, UCAS, Careers, Skills, Medical, Nursing and Apprenticeship Fairs.

Royal Navy

Calendar Year

Number of Events

2020

68

2021

282

2022

698

2023 (to 17 October)

595

Note: No consistent data on outreach event attendance is held prior to April 2020. The 2020 numbers were significantly reduced due to COVID-19.


Written Question
Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are suspended from active duty due to an ongoing criminal investigation as of 17 October 2023.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As of 17 October 2023, there were approximately 60 Service personnel recorded as suspended from duty due to an ongoing criminal investigation, or post criminal investigation where justified.


Written Question
British Nationals Abroad: Armed Forces
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British nationals are serving in (a) the French Foreign Legion and (b) other foreign militaries, by national military, as of 17 October 2023.

Answered by James Heappey - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

This is not a matter for the Ministry of Defence, therefore the information is not held.


Written Question
Armed Forces: Nutrition
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the recommended calorific intake was for a British Army Soldier in each year since 2015.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Since 2017, the calorie intake for Service Personnel has been based on the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's statement on 'Military Dietary Reference Values for Energy'. This states that for those in Active Service the recommended daily calorie intake is between 3,300-3,800 calories for males and 2,600-2,900 for females.

This document can be found on the Government website with the relevant table on page 9:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a8009db40f0b6230269123b/SACN_military_DRVs_for_energy_position_statement.pdf

Prior to 2017 and this report, the recommended calorie intake for personnel was between 2,620-2,810 for males and 1,940-2,060 for females.


Written Question
Military Exercises: Conventional Weapons
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) tank shells, (b) 81mm mortar, (c) javelin, (d) 5.56 x 45mm rounds and (e) Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems were fired on training exercises in each year since 2015.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The requested information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Rifles
Tuesday 24th October 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of replacing the SA80 assault rifle with an alternative rifle.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the previous Minister for Defence Procurement (Alex Chalk KC) on 12 January 2023 to Question 117843 to the hon. Member for Slough (Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi).


Written Question
Navy and Merchant Shipping: Recruitment
Monday 18th October 2021

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spends on average per annum on recruitment to the (a) Merchant Navy and (b) Royal Navy, by region of the UK.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The annual spend on Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Fleet Auxiliary recruitment incurred by the RN is as follows:

  • Financial Year 20-21 - £62,467,335
  • Financial Year 19-20 - £60,740,041
  • Financial Year 18-19 - £53,073,272
  • Three Year Average - £58,760,216

The spend cannot be broken down to UK regional level.

The Merchant Navy is not a Ministry of Defence organisation. Individual Merchant Navy organisations are responsible for their own recruiting costs.


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: Email
Tuesday 27th July 2021

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he or any Ministers of his Department use personal email addresses to conduct Government business.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Ministers will use a range of digital forms of communication for discussions in line with relevant guidance on information handling and security.

Ministry of Defence Security Policy states that, as a general rule, government information should be processed and stored on government systems, both for security reasons and to preserve the integrity of public records.

Consequently, it should not normally be worked on using private email addresses.


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: Directors
Thursday 22nd July 2021

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which of his Department's non-executive directors were appointed through open competition.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Departments follow the principles set out in Cabinet Office/HM Treasury 'Corporate governance in central government departments: code of good practice'. The current Ministry of Defence Non-Executive Directors were recruited through fair and transparent routes, with multiple candidates considered for each appointment. Appointments were made on merit.


Written Question
Porton Down: Animal Experiments
Thursday 17th June 2021

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2021 to Question 6340, on Porton Down: Animal Experiments, on which species of animal were scientific procedures conducted in 2019 and 2020; and how many scientific procedures were conducted on each species.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The numbers of scientific procedures conducted pursuant to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, by species for 2019 and 2020, are set out in the table below:-

Common name

Species name

2019

2020

Mice

Mus musculus

1,328

1,014

Pig

Sus scrofa domestica

49

47

Marmoset

Callithrix jacchus

58

55

Rat

Rattus norvegicus

56

16

Guinea Pig

Cavia porcellus

0

32

Hamster (Syrian)

Mesocricetus auratus

9

30

Total Procedures

1,500

1,194