Further supplementary memorandum from
the Ministry of Defence
1. Do you have Action Plans in response to
the NAO Report: Support to High Intensity Operations (HC 508 2008-09)
and to the subsequent PAC Report (HC 895 2008-09)? The Committee
would like a copy of the latest iterations of these Plans.
The Department is currently in the process of
drafting the Treasury Minute in response to the Public Account
Committee's report into Support to High Intensity Operations.
We are expecting this to be laid in Parliament around 14 December.
2. Dai Havard asked questions about the statement,
in the Secretary of State's letter to the Chairman about the Strategy
for Defence on 27 October, that "We will improve the strategic
management of the Defence through a new framework with this strategy
at its heart, giving firm direction to those responsible for delivery
and holding them to account though a revised and relevant performance
management system". The Secretary of State agreed to write
setting out the detail of the revised performance management system
including the processes and content of the performance management
system and the timetable for its full delivery to the MoD with
any interim target dates. The Committee would like to see the
output of the "dummy run" of the system recently undertaken
by the Defence Board, as described by Admiral Richards. The Committee
would also find it useful to have an explanation of how the performance
indicators and other metrics fit in with the reporting on progress
against PSA and DSO targets.
As part of the pre-Defence Review work on Strategic
Management, the Department is revising its top level performance
management system in order to better enable the Defence Board
to assess both how well the Strategy is being implemented, and
whether the Strategy is delivering policy effectively. The work
is at the developmental stage, with a prototype report expected
to go before the Defence Board in February. Meanwhile, the current
Defence Balanced Scorecard will run through Financial Year 2009-10
and will form the basis of the 2009 Annual Report and Accounts.
The new system is expected to become operational in the Spring
in order to provide a baseline of strategic performance information
prior to the Defence Review. Following initial implementation,
the system will be subject to continuous improvement in order
to ensure it remains best aligned to Defence business.
The outline design of the new system is based
on an assessment of the utility of the current Balanced Scorecard
and Quarterly Performance Report in the context of the challenges
faced by Defence today, including, for example, the challenges
posed by enduring current operations, and in the future, and of
a survey of other performance management systems and current academic
literature. It is being designed and implemented entirely by the
core staff of the Department.
It is proposed that there is an annual strategic
performance report which will allow the Defence Board to better
understand strategic progress and direct the Department accordingly.
In addition, a more focused quarterly report will provide the
Defence Board with assessments of delivery performance against
key objectives. PSA and DSO targets that sit within the CSR07
settlement will continue to be reported on in the usual manner,
but with underpinning information provided from the new internal
performance system.
We would be happy to share the prototype report
with the Committee once the Defence Board has judged it to be
sufficiently mature, probably by March 2010, and would suggest
this is accompanied by a brief in order to explain the new framework
fully.
3. The Committee would be grateful for confirmation
that the Defence Training Review has not slipped further to the
right and is not being delayed because of current funding or other
difficulties.
Following the successful conclusion of negotiations
with the preferred bidder, Financial Close for the Defence Training
Review is provisionally programmed for the end of November 2010.
This is later than the previously announced date of Summer 2010,
primarily because in the current financial climate, it is likely
to be more complex for the preferred bidder to obtain bank funding
than initially anticipated.
Work is being undertaken on the commercial core
of the project agreement to provide the necessary confidence to
enable the provisional programme to be confirmed before the Parliamentary
Christmas Recess.
4. Clearly, the recent improvements in recruitment
have resulted in some financial pressures because of additional
resources needed to pay the recruits. The Secretary of State told
the Committee that, as far as he was aware, these improvements
in recruitment had not resulted in gaps in any other aspects of
the resources needed for new recruits such as training capacity
or the provision of accommodation. The Committee would be grateful
for any information about the strain on initial and other training
given the increased number of recruits and also on accommodation
for new recruits and their families.
Overall the military training system has addressed
successfully the Phase 1 (recruit) and Phase 2 (specialist) training
challenges presented by the requirements of recruitment.
The Committee should be aware that the MoD policy
only provides accommodation for families once recruits have finished
their professional training (phase 2 training). More specific
detail for each of the single Services is as follows:
Royal Navy—The Royal Navy has no problems
with the capacity of its accommodation related to the influx of
new recruits. There are, however, issues in relation to the quality
of what is now regarded as ageing accommodation for both Royal
Navy Officers and Ratings at both HMS RALEIGH and Britannia RN
College. To mitigate, there are, plans in place with the Royal
Navy Estates Organisation to upgrade and replace the relevant
accommodation over the coming years.
Army—The increase in recruits has meant
the Army has had to increase the number of instructors (training
teams) but all of this has been within the Army Recruiting and
Training Division's capability. The Army has the infrastructure
(in terms of both accommodation and training capacity) to cope.As
interest in a career in the Army increased at the latter end of
2008, the Army were able to use this information to forward plan
and prepare for the surge in training.
Royal Air Force—The RAF training system
has adapted well to meet this challenge, with resources re-allocated
to Phase 1 and 2 Training Establishments to enable them to deliver
the training quality and quantity required. A number of specific
measures have been taken, including the re-activation of accommodation
blocks and the provision of additional training staffs. The RAF
training system is currently focused particularly on ensuring
that the trainees progress through Phase 2 training in a timely
and effective manner.
5. The Committee would also be very interested
in information on improvements in both the quality and the quantity
of new recruits and, in particular, recent wastage rates during
training compared to those in previous years.
Royal Navy—Over the past 18 months there
has been a significant increase in recruiting of Royal Navy Ratings
and Royal Marine Other Ranks in order to achieve manning balance
as soon as possible and full strength by 2011. There has been
no significant increase in Royal Navy/Royal Marine Officer recruiting
over the same period. To a greater extent the quality has been
maintained.
Army—In February 2009, graded selection
was introduced to identify the best candidates from the selection
process in order to expedite their entry into training. Graded
selection assesses the mind, body and character of potential recruits
and is measured in terms of Commitment, Effort, Suitability and
Attainment/ability. Successful candidates are then graded, which
enables the Army to train "the best first". Although
early results are promising, it will be some time before the Army
will be in a position to examine which factors really make a difference
in selecting the right people and guiding them towards the right
career.
The quantity of individuals passing through
Phase 1 and Phase 2 establishments is in excess of 100%. In numerical
terms, there have been 2-3,000 more recruits in training at any
particular time than in 2008-09. Wastage has also significantly
decreased. It currently resides at a rolling 12 month average
of 28.9% compared with 34.1% in April 06. This has been due to
increased investment in nurturing and retention in training initiatives,
along with the influences of the economic environment over the
last year.
Royal Air Force—The standard of the successfully
selected recruits remains high and continues to meet the input
standards of the RAF. The current economic situation has undoubtedly
led to an increase in the number of applicants and consequently
an increase in recruitment in the year 2008-09. We remain mindful
that, in the future, the economic situation should improve, which
may cause the level of applications to fall to previous levels.
The wastage rate for ground airmen in Phase
1 training is currently 8% for 2009-10, which compares favourably
to 10% in recent years. The wastage rate for Officers for 2009-10
is currently 6%, compared to 4% for 2008-09. It is expected to
return to historic norms by the end of the year.
6. Terence Jagger said that the MoD expected
more information to be available from DASA on the manning numbers
of the Army. The Committee would be grateful to know when this
information will be available. The Committee would also like to
know what type of information will be available on manning, recruitment
and retention including of pinch point trades and if it will include
data on the breaking of harmony guidelines in the Army and other
Armed Services.
The latest UK Armed Forces Quarterly Manning
Report containing data as 1 October 2009, was published on 26
November 2009. The report includes the latest breakdown of the
full-time trained strengths and requirements including breakdown
by sex and ethnic origin and the numbers recruited (intake) into
the Armed Forces. A full copy of the report is attached.
Retention of Service Personnel remains a high
priority, particularly for those personnel who are in Pinch Point
trades, in order to maintain operational capability and robust
manning structures. The decreasing level of Outflow over the past
12 months (predominantly as a result of less Voluntary Outflow
rather than a reduction in Planned Outflow) is very encouraging
and the focus is now swinging towards maintaining these levels
as the economy improves over the next few years. Current retention
levers such as Financial Retention Incentives, career breaks,
the Tri-Service Commitment Bonus and improved support to families,
will be essential and must continue to be refined and targeted
at the most vulnerable trades.
The Manning Report does not include data on
breaking harmony as this is not routinely published. However,
as at Quarter 2 (1 July 2009), the percentage of personnel breaking
Harmony Guidelines is as follows:
7. The Committee would like to know the latest
position on manning levels and on voluntary outflow for each of
the three Services, in particular, the Army.
The Trained Strengths as at 1 October 2009,
which are subject to ongoing validation are:
(a) The Armed Forces: 174,890; 97.98% of the
178,490 requirement.
(b) Royal Navy: 34,980; 98.1% of the 35,660 requirement.
(c) Army: 100,450; 98.5% of the 101,980 requirement.
(d) Royal Air Force: 39,460; 96.6% of the 40,860
requirement.
Voluntary Outflow is calculated from figures
for Service Personnel who apply to leave the Armed Forces outside
any formal career break points. The average annualised Voluntary
Outflow rate for each of the services is shown in the table below:
| | 2006-07
| 2007-08 | 2008-09
| Q1 2009-10 | Q2 2009-10
|
| RN Officers | 3.1% |
4.3% | 4.0% | 4.1%
| 4.0% |
| RN Other Ranks | 6.3% | 6.3%
| 6.0% | 5.7% | 5.2%
|
| Army Officers | — | —
| — | — | —
|
| Army Other Ranks | — |
— | 5.4% | 5.1%
| 4.6% |
| RAF Officers | 2.9% | 3.0%
| 2.9% | 2.6% | 2.3%
|
| RAF Other Ranks | 4.6% | 5.1%
| 5.5% | 5.0% | 4.2%
|
| |
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Voluntary Outflow reflects the level of personal satisfaction
which can be affected by factors such as work/life balance, housing,
spouse's career, family stability, pay etc. Measures to counter
such factors are taken to reduce Voluntary Outflow and in particular,
for Pinch Point trades, through Financial Retention Incentives.
The current levels are lower than average which is largely attributable
to the economic situation. The challenge is to maintain these
historically low levels as the economy improves.
Data on reasons for leaving the Army have not been available
on JPA since 1 April 2007. This is due to: data being poorly entered
on to JPA; problems processing outflow and incomplete Queen's
Regulations on JPA, which prevented the correct codes being entered.
These issues are being dealt with by Army Personnel Centre, Service
Personnel and Veterans Agency and Defence Analytical Services
and Advice, but further work is required until they are fully
resolved. Voluntary Outflow for Army Other Ranks, starting with
the 12 months to 31 March 2009, onwards is now included.
8. Given the shortage of nurses in the Army, the Committee
would like to know manning levels for the various types of nurses
in the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force including,
separately identified, those in the Reserve Forces.
In line with a recent PQ 00107X we will be placing a copy
of the Defence Medical Services Manning Statistics in the library
of the House, once we have compiled the most recent set of statistics.
9. The Secretary of State agreed to provide a note on what
is meant by the figure "17% of the Armed Forces are deployed"
used in the MoD Annual Report 2008-09, setting out where exactly
these people are.
As at 31 March 2009 there were 172, 596 fully trained military
personnel out of which 20,052 (17%) were deployed on operations
and undertaking Military Tasks. There are 18 Military Tasks that
reflect the full range of tasks and operations which the United
Kingdom (UK) Defence should expect to undertake. Military Tasks
are grouped under four generic headings: Standing Strategic Tasks,
Standing Home Commitments, Standing Overseas Commitments and Contingent
Operations Overseas. There are 18 tasks encompassing the independent
nuclear deterrent, strategic intelligence and data gathering vital
to gaining insight and understanding of the strategic environment,
protection of UK sovereignty, security at home in support of Other
Government Departments, projection of the Armed Forces public
profile, national obligations to Overseas Territories, commitment
to international alliances and partners (as a means of safeguarding
UK interests overseas), the promotion of UK influence and support
around the world, and the range of contingent operations which
may demand the commitment of UK Armed Forces.
UK Armed Forces were deployed extensively, principally across
Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Sudan, Dafur, Georgia, Liberia, Sierra Leon, Nepal, Horn
of Africa, Northern Ireland, Falkland Islands, Ascension Islands,
Gibraltar and British Indian Ocean Territories.
Although figures vary on a daily basis, UK Armed Forces were
deployed:
(a) On contingent operations overseas, predominantly in Afghanistan
(8,100) and Iraq (5,483).
(b) On United Nations operations in the Balkans (Kosovo (156)
and Sarajevo (14)), Cyprus (277), Democratic Republic of Congo
(6), Sudan (6), Georgia (5), Liberia (3), Sierra Leon (1), Nepal
(1) and EU African Mission in Sudan/Darfur (AMIS) (3).
(c) Meeting continuing standing commitments with forces in
Northern Ireland (304), Cyprus (2,277), the Falkland Islands and
Ascension Island (1,063), Gibraltar (125) and British Indian Ocean
Territories (36).
(d) Contributing to the NATO standing naval presence in the
Atlantic and Mediterranean.
(e) Maintaining the UK's independent nuclear deterrent, continued
to protect UK airspace and waters and provide support to the civil
authorities for search and rescue, fishery protection, bomb disposal
and counter-drugs activities.
(f) Contributing to HMG's counter-terrorism strategy by delivering
military advice and assistance across all four strands (PURSUE,
PROTECT, PREPARE, PREVENT), including training assistance to a
number of high priority countries in capabilities such as land
and maritime border security, counter-terrorist detention, public
order, and aviation security.
(g) Supporting UK led Counter Piracy operations off the Horn
of Africa as part of NATO, EU and Coalition initiatives as well
as helping protect World Food Programme shipping.
10. When will the concept phase for Trident be announced
and what are the reasons for the delay?
We had originally planned to consider the Concept Phase in
Autumn, but further time has been required to ensure that we take
decisions based on robust information. We are aiming to be in
a position to make an announcement early in the New Year.
11. The Secretary of State agreed to provide the Committee
with a copy of the classified Recuperation Directive. The Committee
would be grateful for an explanation of the latest state of play
on planning for recuperation.
Please see classified note accompanying this document.
12. The Committee would be grateful if the MoD could set
out what the sum of £300 million agreed with the Treasury
for recuperation will cover, and what the MoD will have to bear
from its own budget. Could you confirm that this £300 million
will be provided by the Treasury.
Please see classified note accompanying this document.1
4 December 2009
1 Not printed.
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