Oral Answers to Questions

Jess Phillips Excerpts

Monday 29th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The exchanges today are, to put it mildly, a tad long-winded. There are a lot of questions to get through. What is required is a pithy question and a pithy answer. It is not very difficult.

[Jess Phillips (Birmingham, Yardley) (Lab)]

3. What assessment he has made of the potential effect of the planned 30% reduction in his Department’s civilian workforce on front-line service personnel.

[Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South) (Lab)]

10. What assessment he has made of the potential effect of the planned 30% reduction in his Department’s civilian workforce on front-line service personnel.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mark Lancaster)]

Our civilian workers do an excellent job. I recognise that reductions in our workforce will require the Ministry of Defence to look strategically at the way in which we operate. The majority of the planned reductions are under way and there is an opportunity to identify further efficiencies across defence. Our priority is to deliver a smaller, more productive workforce that will ultimately generate savings for reinvestment in front-line capability.

[Jess Phillips]

Does the Minister acknowledge that further cuts to the civilian workforce will inevitably shift the burden on to armed forces personnel? How does he think that will affect the retention, recruitment and morale of our troops, which, according to servicemen and women in my constituency, are already worryingly low?

[Mark Lancaster]

No, I do not, because the savings of approximately £300 million that we will be able to make will ultimately be reinvested in front-line capability.