Monday Volume 666 21 October 2019 No. 6 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 21 October 2019 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2019 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 673 21 OCTOBER 2019 674 Mark Lancaster: I am very proud that there are now House of Commons no roles in the British Army that are not open to women, so all ground and close combat roles are open. Monday 21 October 2019 We have seen the first women join the Royal Armoured Corps. We also have women in training to join the infantry. I cannot give my hon. Friend an exact number, The House met at half-past Two o’clock but I will write to him with that detail. PRAYERS Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): Is the Minister aware that in 1982, at the time of the Falklands conflict, we had 327,000 people in the armed [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] services and now we are below 100,000? Is it not a fact that if Mr Putin came steaming towards us tomorrow we would not be able to defend this country? Oral Answers to Questions Mark Lancaster: No, that is certainly not the case. It is certainly true, to quote Stalin, that: “Quantity has a quality all its own.” DEFENCE However, the modern armed forces are very different from those of the 1980s. We need only look at the The Secretary of State was asked— Queen Elizabeth, our new carrier, which, compared with Ark Royal, her predecessor, has a complement that Army Personnel requires just one quarter of the number of crew. 1. Dr David Drew (Stroud) (Lab/Co-op): What recent Tracey Crouch (Chatham and Aylesford) (Con): Kent assessment he has made of trends in the number of is proud to host a number of Gurkhas across the country, including within the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers, Army personnel. [900000] currently located at Invicta Park barracks just outside The Minister for the Armed Forces (Mark Lancaster): my constituency. Will my right hon. Friend join me in Halfway through the recruiting year,approximately 70% of welcoming the number of personnel in the Brigade of the Army’s regular soldier requirement have either started Gurkhas, which has increased by 25% in the past four training or are due to do so. In addition, direct entry years? officer and reserve recruitment targets are all expected to be achieved. Mark Lancaster: I have to declare my interest: the first Army unit I joined was the Queen’sGurkha Engineers Dr Drew: I thank the Minister for that answer, but he back in 1988 in Hong Kong. I am delighted that, speaking must be aware that since 2010 the number of service off the top of my head, we currently have 69 and people has declined each year. The latest figures, which 70 Gurkha Field Squadrons serving in Invicta barracks I believe are from 1 July 2019, show that the Army has in Maidstone. I am also pleased to be able to announce 74,440 personnel against a target of 82,000; the Royal that the aspiration is to create 67 Squadron from 2021, Air Force has 29,930 against a target of 31,750; and the and a second further Gurkha engineers squadron, Royal Navy and Marines have 29,090 against a target of 68 Squadron, from 2023, so the Brigade of Gurkhas 30,450. What will the Government do to address the continues to grow. shortfall? Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East) (Lab): We all Mark Lancaster: I think we are doing a lot, actually. know about the Government’s disastrous record on As I said, we need only look at this year, where all the recruitment of UK personnel, with the fully trained size signs are very positive. The real challenge we have faced of the Army, as we have already heard, having now just recently has been in the other ranks in the Army. Officer fallen to 74,000 personnel. But the Government are failing entry is full, and the Army reserve is growing. The to recruit enough Commonwealth troops, too, and we now target for other ranks in the Army is 9,404. We have hear that they are cancelling plans to proactively recruit already achieved 70% of that target in the first six months. from overseas. Can the Minister explain how this decision The second we get to 80%, Army numbers, assuming guarantees sufficient recruitment to our armed forces, that outflow remains constant, will remain the same and how on earth he plans to meet the stated target of and will not fall. In every single other rank where we 82,000 soldiers? manage to recruit over 80%, that will mean an increase in Army numbers. Within the first six months, we have Mark Lancaster: I have already explained part of already achieved 70%, so we have 10% more to do what we are doing. I sense that the hon. Gentleman within the next six months to maintain numbers, and wrote his question before listening to my answers and everyone after that will represent an increase in Army has not been able to adapt it, which is a shame but often numbers. the case in this House. Equally, I think he has fallen into the trap of reading a Daily Express or Sunday Express Bob Stewart (Beckenham) (Con): What progress has article which states what is factually not the case. We the Army made towards getting female soldiers into have always recruited from the Commonwealth, and frontline units such as rifle platoons in an infantry over the last two years we have been increasing our battalion? recruitment from the Commonwealth. 675 Oral Answers 21 OCTOBER 2019 Oral Answers 676 Mr David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden) (Con): I Mr Wallace: My hon. Friend makes an important have listened to the Minister’s answers, and he intimated point about the threat that the IRGC poses to not only that we are replacing quantity with quality. Much of the region but countries such as ours. The Quds force is this problem goes back to the Capita contract for currently proscribed. Further proscription considerations recruiting soldiers, sailors and airmen, which was massively are a matter for the Home Office. However, what is criticised in a Public Accounts Committee report earlier really important is that, where the IRGC poses a threat, this year in terms of both quantity and quality. Today, like-minded countries around the world challenge that 10% of our troops are incapable of deployment abroad threat and ensure that it is dealt with.1 for medical reasons. What can he do to fix those problems? Stephen Pound (Ealing North) (Lab): Trafalgar day Mark Lancaster: Let us be clear: the House is absolutely has been mentioned, and later today, when “Up Spirits” right to scrutinise this Government over recruiting into is piped, we will all drink a tot to the immortal memory. our armed forces. I welcome that, because it enables me I hope that the Minister will place on record his recognition to put pressure on our service chiefs. While there were, and understanding that the Royal Navy and Royal without doubt, challenges with that Capita contract, I Marine personnel currently on active service represent have explained today how we have already reached 70% the very finest tradition of our services. Let us put that of our target within the first six months of this year. on the record. That contract is now performing in a way that it was not before. My right hon. Friend is right about medical standards, which is why there is a series of reviews at the Mr Wallace: I am, of course, delighted to agree with moment of how we can prevent those injuries from the hon. Gentleman about the amazing quality that happening in the first place. they bring to our armed forces. I am a landlubber, as a former soldier, so I can only marvel at what I have come Strait of Hormuz: UK Shipping across so far in this job. 2. Mr John Baron (Basildon and Billericay) (Con): Nia Griffith (Llanelli) (Lab): Happy Trafalgar day, What steps his Department is taking to protect UK Mr Speaker. Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing the shipping in the strait of Hormuz. [900001] sea cadets parade in a splendid fashion for Trafalgar 22. Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con): What steps day. I welcome the Secretary of State and the new his Department is taking to protect UK shipping in the Ministers to their posts. strait of Hormuz. [900022] The situation in the strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf has significantly escalated in the past few months. The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ben Wallace): We have seen unlawful aggression in the international Happy Trafalgar day, Mr Speaker. Ships transiting the seas, British flagged ships seized by the Iranian regime, strait of Hormuz are currently exposed to the threat of attacks on Saudi oil facilities and a recent commitment being harried by units of the Iranian Revolutionary by the US to send an extra 3,000 troops to Saudi Arabia. Guards and, in some cases, illegal seizure. While the We need to de-escalate tensions. With that in mind, can international community is working to de-escalate tensions, the Secretary of State confirm that the UK will not be up to four ships of the Royal Navy have been active in sending troops to Saudi Arabia? the strait since July.