The temporary cessation of some in-year Maritime Reserves activity will not impact on any Royal Navy operational tasking. Activity undertaken by those on FTRS or Additional Duties Commitments will continue as normal; as will some Transformation projects that are deemed critical to meeting future Royal Navy and Defence outputs.

The Maritime Reserve is an integral and highly valued part of the Royal Navy and this brief cessation of some activity will not affect Regular recruitment which is currently experiencing a surge of interest.

The requested information is provided below:

Number of Service Personnel and Estimate of the Number of Children and Marital Status as at 1 April 2019

Notes:

1. Figures exclude Gurkhas, Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve, Military Provost Guard Service, Locally Engaged Personnel and elements of the Full-time Reserve Service (FTRS).

2. Future Reserves 2020 includes volunteer reserves who are mobilised, High Readiness Reserves and Volunteer Reserve personnel serving on Additional Duties Commitment or FTRS contracts. Non Regular Permanent Staff, Expeditionary Forces Institute and University Officer Cadets and Regular Reservists are excluded.

3. Figures for the number of children and marital status are estimates as the data is self-declared and has not been verified by Defence Statistics.

4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, figures ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest 20 to avoid systematic bias.

The Ministry of Defence has not carried out any specific research into a proposal to pay Reservists a half day's pay for training in the evening. The Future Reserves 2020 programme has delivered a significant improvement to the overall Reserves experience which has been demonstrated by improved recruitment numbers.

The Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) programme continues to see growth in the Reserves, and greater integration of our Regular and Reserve forces. As at 1 December 2016, the trained strength of the FR20 population was 30,800. Full details of intake to the FR20 population, including a breakdown by Service, are published at the following address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-armed-forces-monthly-service-personnel-statistics-index

The new Maritime Reserves online application facility went live on 4 June this year. They have received more than 280 applications through this route to date but none of the applicants has yet been allocated to training. For the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, the average times are 109 days for Officer applicants and 134 days for other ranks.

For members of the Army Reserve who enlisted in August 2014, the average length of time between application and enlistment was 251 days. The Army aims to reduce this timescale considerably and has recently made changes to enable applicants to join the Army Reserve as quickly as possible. These include changes to the medical process; increasing capacity at assessment centres; and simplifying and streamlining applications by removing an interview stage for Reserve soldier candidates. It is the Chief of the General Staff's intention that units should have greater control of the process to minimise unnecessary delay.

I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement and paper the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), placed in the Library of the House on 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 124WS.

I am glad to be able to say to the hon. Gentleman, whom I know in view of his past service takes a close interest in these matters, that we have reduced some of the bureaucracy in the process—we have simplified the forms and some of the medical procedures—and we launched a new recruitment campaign in January, the benefits of which are beginning to feed through. The process was too bureaucratic; it is less so now, and it is beginning to work.

When Reservists are carrying out any period of training they are paid by the Ministry of Defence, who make the relevant employer's national insurance contributions in respect of those payments.

While mobilised, reservists are employed and paid by the Ministry of Defence, who also make the relevant employer's national insurance contributions.

The Defence Reform Bill includes provision to make additional payments to the employers of reservists beyond those currently permitted. As set out in the White Paper “Reserves in the Future Force 2020: Valuable and Valued” (CM 8655) published in July 2013, the intention is to make payments of £500 per month for each employee of a small or medium-sized enterprise who is mobilised.

Although we do not recruit individuals directly from the custodial system, individuals who have been through the justice system may be eligible to apply to become members of the armed forces, whether regular or reserve. The recruitment of individuals with criminal records is subject to the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

For individuals not in employment, reserve service offers an excellent opportunity to gain employment skills arid experience. The Ministry of Defence has piloted a number of training schemes for those not in employment, education or training, some of which have resulted in trainees achieving NVQ qualifications. These are programmes that the Department will be developing further.

I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on the 3 July 2013, Official Report, columns 923-47.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 3 September 2012, Official Report, column 66W, to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones).

[holding answer 17 October 2012]: A greater reliance on reserves will demand a closer relationship that benefits Defence, the employer and the reservist. We want to move towards relationships with employers based on partnering and giving greater predictability and certainty to when a reservist will be required for training or deployment.

The Ministry of Defence will examine the effects which the adoption of the Whole Force Concept will have on employers, through the Future Reserves 2020 consultation exercise later this year. In spring 2013, following analysis of the responses, we expect to publish a White Paper detailing the future policy.

[holding answer 12 September 2012]: There have been approximately 11,000 successful applications and 3,000 unsuccessful applications to join the Territorial Army (TA) since May 2010. As part of the Future Reserves 2020, the Army plan to spend £5 million in financial year (FY) 2012-13 on the TA recruiting campaign and are now drawing up plans for the marketing campaigns in FY 2013-14.

Reservists mobilised in support of the London 2012 Olympics will receive the same rates of pay as their regular counterparts and applicable allowances. Should that be less than their civilian earnings they are recompensed through statutory instrument 2005/859 which makes provision for the reservist to apply for a financial assistance award to ensure that they are not financially disadvantaged, including in relation to benefits in kind. Allowable expenses can also be reclaimed as part of the award.

In addition, reservists also receive a Call Out Gratuity that is paid within seven days when they are accepted into permanent service. The payment of £509 reflects the Ministry of Defence's obligation to ensure that immediate financial aid is provided for the reservist and their dependants for the immediate disruption caused by call-out.