Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Safety Authority report into the loss of a C130J Hercules in Iraq in August 2017, published May 2019, which stated that the resourced position of 20 crews will be insufficient to deliver a sustainable force beyond 2019, what additional (a) financial and (b) personnel resources have been allocated to the C130J force to ensure its sustainability.

The increased resource position provided by the most recent planning round meets Defence requirements. Decisions on the number of resourced crews beyond that date have not been finalised and will be undertaken as part of normal budgetary cycles. This process considers and prioritises safety above all other enhancements.