Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the responsibilities of each of the 40 admirals in the Royal Navy; and what is the total cost of their posts including salaries, expenses and supporting staff.

Not all senior posts are directly employed by the Royal Navy; senior appointments are filled on a rotational or competition basis across the Ministry of Defence, NATO and the European Union Military Staff. The number of Admirals increases and decreases in accordance with which 'Joint' positions are filled by the Naval Service.

A list of Senior Naval Service personnel was released in June 2016 and is available on the Government website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535041/Navy_FOI_2016_05868___Information_of_4__3_and_2_star_officers_on_the_active_list_of_Royal_Navy__RN__and_Royal_Marines__Annex_A__June_and_July_2016.pdf

The salary range for these officers is between:

Admiral/General (Royal Marines) - £185,000 - £189,999

Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General (Royal Marines) - £130,000- £139,999

Rear Admiral/Major General (Royal Marines) - £110,000- £114,999

Further information on the roles and salaries of officers serving in the Naval Service, Joint Forces Command, in Head Office and the Defence Equipment and Support organisation is available on the Government website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-roles-and-salaries-2016

The Service and civilian personnel supporting Royal Navy Senior Officers varies between appointments, but can include office support, those at official residences and staff both inside and outside of their individual Command Chains. Identifying the Department's expenditure on individual support structures and any additional expenses would incur disproportionate costs.

Four roles (three Rear Admirals and one Vice Admiral) are NATO appointments, with their salary commensurate with the salary ranges included above. Information related to expenses and support staff for these roles cannot be provided as their staff will include non-UK nationals with many of their expenses provided by NATO.