Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the Royal Navy.

The new Government inherited a very challenging retention and recruitment position for all Services including the Royal Navy. Since taking office we have announced a number of new initiatives to improve recruitment including removing or updating over 100 outdated medical policies. We have also announced our intention to reduce the time it takes to join the Royal Navy as part of a new package of measures to improve recruitment.

The Royal Navy continues to meet its operational commitments, but tackling recruitment and retention challenges is a top priority.

The Royal Navy has implemented a number of measures to improve recruitment and retention including streamlining its recruiting and selection process with the aim of reducing the time candidates spend in the recruitment pipeline.

Specific initiatives include an improved medical assessment procedure, an augmented recruitment workforce to increase outreach, additional funding to support an extended marketing campaign and a modernised and streamlined recruitment website.