Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence
Monday 8th January 2024

(10 months, 2 weeks ago)

Commons Chamber
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Derek Twigg Portrait Derek Twigg (Halton) (Lab)
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Despite the answer the Minister gave to the hon. Member for Colchester (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 Portrait Dr Murrison
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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.