Contributions
413 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: TrendsI am grateful, but I am not the Secretary of State.14 Jan 2019HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: TrendsWe remain committed to maintaining the overall size of the armed forces, and we have a range of measures under way to improve recruitment and retention. The challenge is kept…14 Jan 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe reality is that there is a delay between people applying to join the Army and coming through the pipeline as trained soldiers. What I am trying to explain to the House is…14 Jan 2019HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: TrendsI am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his confidence in me. With respect, he is rather missing the point of the latest recruitment campaign. We will always have core…14 Jan 2019HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: TrendsThe overall manning of the armed forces remains at 93%. Crucially, that means that we are maintaining all of our operational commitments.14 Jan 2019HANSARDArmed Forces Personnel: TrendsLet us be absolutely clear. The future accommodation model is about choice. It is about recognising that not everybody necessarily wants to live on the patch, and about creating a…14 Jan 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am afraid what the hon. Gentleman says is simply untrue. The Guardsman concerned gave his specific permission for his photograph to be used on that poster and understood exactly…14 Jan 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am very grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his acknowledgment. In cases like this, it is absolutely right that collectively across the House we should act in the way we…14 Jan 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am very sympathetic to those calls. However, the award of the clasp rather than the medal for the aircrew who served with Bomber Command is consistent with the policy for other…14 Jan 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: Future Defence RelationshipThe hon. Lady is absolutely right. Of course, up until recently, we actually led Op Atalanta, which was the counter-piracy operation in Somalia, although that has now handed over…14 Jan 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsAs I say, I am sympathetic, but the aircrew have been recognised, through the award of the clasp to the medal. We are just being consistent in how the policy has been applied over…14 Jan 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: Future Defence RelationshipMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. This is a golden opportunity for us to look to expand our footprint across the world. Only this year, we have seen Royal Navy warships in the…14 Jan 2019HANSARDOffensive Cyber-capabilitiesThe Ministry of Defence is committed to exploiting offensive cyber as a warfighting tool. We are developing and employing capabilities through the national offensive cyber…14 Jan 2019