Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of potential domestic alternatives for future launches of UK Space Command satellites, in the context of the launch of the Tyche satellite.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government is developing the UK’s emerging space launch industry, aiming to become a European leader in commercial small satellite launches. This effort involves approximately £111 million being invested in the UK’s launch capabilities, including a recent £20 million investment to enable UK rocket manufacturer Orbex to complete construction of their launch vehicle Prime. Defence supports the UK’s launch ambitions, working with the UK Space Agency to help develop a thriving UK spaceflight sector and with our international partners to assist their launch requirements. This includes involvement in the early development of NATO's STARLIFT programme to enhance space launch capabilities within the alliance, ensuring readiness for future launch needs.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on achieving Goal 4 of the National Space Strategy, published in September 2021.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has achieved major progress on the 'Protect and Defend' mission in space. This has been achieved through the development of our own capabilities, collaboration with our international partners and across government. The creation of a UK Space Command has brought a renewed focus to the importance of space, delivering new cross-government capabilities such as a National Space Operations Centre. We have committed to the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability alongside the US and Australia as a highly advanced tool to enhance our understanding of this vital domain. This has been underpinned by a £6.5 billion commitment over ten years to develop space capabilities, and through the Strategic Defence Review we are assessing the strategic landscape and threat picture to inform long-term decisions on investment in future capabilities.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Capita’s performance in armed forces recruitment since March 2022.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 17 December 2024 to Question 19640 to the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois).
The new Government inherited a crisis in retention and recruitment. We have made it a priority to address this with a series of work streams designed to increase recruitment and renew the contract between the nation and those who serve to improve retention. Recruiting and retention remain one of our highest priorities - the Army/Capita Recruiting Partnering Project is completely focusedon delivering a significant increase in recruitment in 2024-25.
Working in a collaborative partnership, the Army and Capita have robust contract management measures, including Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and penalty deductions where KPIs are not met, to monitor performance against contractual requirements. However, as I am sure the right hon. Member will understand, detailed contractual arrangements, including performance measures, are not routinely disclosed by the Department in order to protect the commercial interests of all parties.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle challenges in meeting military recruitment targets.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The new Government is focused upon improving Armed Forces recruitment, modernising and refining our policies and processes to attract the best possible talent.
Recent policies have included a 35% pay increase for new recruits; one of the largest pay increases in the last 20 years for existing personnel; scrapping over 100 outdated medical policies; a commitment to create a new military direct-entry cyber pathway; and setting an ambition to make a conditional offer of employment to candidates within 10 days, and a provisional training start date within 30 days.
These activities and their impacts will inform the development of the Armed Forces Recruitment Service which is being implemented to further improve the speed with which highly motivated and capable people can join our Armed Forces.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to incorporate feedback from (a) military personnel and (b) applicants to improve the recruitment process managed by Capita.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
There are various mechanisms through which both Serving military personnel, and applicants, can provide feedback on the Army’s recruitment process.
This includes an annual Recruit Training Survey and Officer Cadet Survey, which include a list of recruitment questions that are asked when Army recruits leave Basic Training. Army applicants are also asked for feedback at multiple points during the recruitment process via the ‘Voice of the Candidate’ surveys run by Capita Recruiting Group.
The feedback provided is regularly reviewed to improve processes, experiences, and ultimately conversion rates throughout the recruitment journey.
On 6 February 2025 we announced the award of the contract for the new tri-service Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS). It will provide a streamlined, single-entry point for prospective recruits, with the aim of attracting the best talent from across the country into the Armed Forces. The service will launch in 2027, replacing the individual schemes run by the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force.