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Topical question asked in the House of Commons, by Mark Francois (Conservative). It was answered on Monday, 19 February 2024 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


Topical Questions

Question

On the subject of recruitment and retention, on 7 November the Chief of the General Staff, Patrick Sanders—arguably the best general of his generation—told the Defence Committee:

“We are taking 400 soldiers out of the field army to put them alongside recruiters, because—guess what?—it takes a soldier to recruit a soldier.”

Never was a truer word spoken. So when are we finally going to sack Capita?

Answer

I thank my right hon. Friend for his question—I knew he would get Capita in there somewhere. He will be familiar with the Engage to Recruit programme, which is currently underway and having some success in getting soldiers to recruit soldiers. That is probably why, as I touched on in my earlier answer, we are now seeing some extremely promising recruiting figures, including in January—the best figures for six years.


Secondary information

Type
Oral question
Reference
745 c457 
Session
2023-24
Oral question type
Supplementary
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Army Recruitment Capita
Link
View this Topical question on hansard.parliament.uk