10 Jan 24. Defence Committee announces intention for session on HMS Albion, HMS Bulwark and Royal Marine capabilities. Today the Defence Committee announces its intention to hold an evidence session within the next few weeks on recent news reports that Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is considering retiring the assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark and the consequences for Royal Marine capabilities. But Defence Minister James Cartlidge told the House of Commons that “no final decision has been made on these platforms”. The two assault ships are amphibious Landing Platform Docks, designed to transport the Royal Marines and their equipment ashore. On recent plans, they were expected to remain in service until 2034. In its 2018 report, ‘Sunset for the Royal Marines’, the Defence Committee’s predecessor Committee warned that the disposal of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark would be “militarily illiterate” and “totally at odds with strategic reality”.
Vice-Chair of the Defence Committee, John Spellar MP, said: “The Royal Marines are rightly viewed as a jewel in the defence crown. They play a pivotal role in the UK’s ability to defend its interests abroad. But they cannot do that without the right equipment and transport. The Defence Committee is deeply concerned by reports that the Government is considering retiring HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, which the Royal Marines rely on. We first raised the alarm on the damaging consequences this would have for the Royal Marines back in 2018. Losing these ships would make successful amphibious landings very difficult, and touted alternatives are unlikely to fill the hole Albion and Bulwark would leave.
“The Defence Committee today announces plans to hold an evidence session to further consider the impact losing these ships would have, and to hold the Government to account on its plans for the Royal Marines’ capabilities. We will announce details of witnesses in due course.”
12 Jan 24. Capita to face questioning by Defence Committee. On Tuesday 16 January, at approximately 11.15, the Defence Committee will hold a one-off evidence session with representatives from Capita, including the CEO of Capita Public Service; COO of Capita’s Recruiting Partnering Project (RPP) and Head of Public Affairs and Government Relations. The session will focus on the RPP, a contract that Capita has held since 2012 to work with the Army to ‘…attract, source and select officers and soldiers for the British Army (Regular & Reserve) and guide them on their journey into basic training.’ On average, since the RPP was re-set in 2018, the Army has failed to recruit 35 Regular officers and over 1,100 Regular soldiers into the basic training system each year. This represents a failure to recruit the equivalent of nearly two infantry battalions per year (around 600 personnel each). The session is likely to cover Capita’s delivery record compared to the Army’s recruitment targets and whether this has this changed since the contract’s ‘reset’ in 2018. The Committee are likely to ask whether recent cyber incidents in 2022 and 2023 have impacted Army recruitment and whether measures have been put in place to protect against further attacks. (Approx.) 11.15, Tuesday 16 January:
- Richard Holroyd, CEO of Capita Public Service at Capita
- Maria Mallet, COO of the Recruiting Partnering Project at Capita
- Ross Haynes, Head of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Capita