Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the proportionate change in (a) spending on service personnel in (i) real and (ii) cash terms and (b) the number of frontline service personnel in each financial year between 2015-16 and 2024-25.
The information you have requested is set out in the table below. The figures for financial year 2024-25 will be available once the accounts have been closed and audited. All personnel numbers are as at 1 April of the relevant financial year.
Financial Year | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
Spend on Service Personnel in Cash Terms (£million) | 9,319 | 9,623 | 9,684 | 9,785 | 10,691 | 11,269 | 11,184 | 11,449 | 11,954 |
Spend on Service Personnel in Real Terms (£million at Constant 2023-24 prices) | 12,050 | 12,169 | 12,056 | 11,931 | 12,734 | 12,738 | 12,716 | 12,151 | 11,954 |
Total UK Regular Forces | 153,724 | 150,996 | 149,366 | 146,556 | 144,428 | 145,317 | 149,280 | 147,978 | 142,556 |
of which Royal Navy and Royal Marines | 32,739 | 32,502 | 32,544 | 32,483 | 32,537 | 32,755 | 33,848 | 33,929 | 32,840 |
of which Army | 87,058 | 85,038 | 83,561 | 81,116 | 79,029 | 79,624 | 82,231 | 80,730 | 77,536 |
of which Royal Air Force | 33,927 | 33,456 | 33,261 | 32,957 | 32,862 | 32,938 | 33,201 | 33,319 | 32,180 |