Research and analysis from impartial experts
Armed forces personnel will receive a delayed pay award for a second year running. Here we look at how pay for the armed forces is agreed, the role of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body and the impact on retention. …
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This briefing paper details the support available to armed forces veterans in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. …
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The UK is sending 250 soldiers to Mali to join the UN peacekeeping mission in 2020. This Commons Library briefing paper looks at the deployment and the situation in Mali.…
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The investigation of former British soldiers who served in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles” is currently receiving a significant amount of media and parliamentary attention as a result of several ongoing court cases. It is, however, the result of a process which began over a decade ago. …
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The Government has announced up to 20,000 military personnel will be put on standby to support the public services as part of a new Covid Support Force. This Commons Library briefing paper looks at when the armed forces can be deployed in the UK and how this might apply during the Coronavirus pandemic.…
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A Westminster Hall debate on a ‘National Memorial to the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit’ has been scheduled for Thursday 26 March 2020 from 1:30pm. This Backbench Business debate will be led by John Howell MP.…
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A number of initiatives to further the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy have been agreed, with the participation of the UK, since the Brexit referendum in 2016. What do they entail and what will be the impact for the UK now that it is no longer an EU Member State? …
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The MoD are planning to spend £181 billion on equipment for the armed forces over the next ten years. The National Audit Office has deemed this ‘unaffordable’. We look at the plan and the NAO’s concerns. …
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This Commons Library paper provides a short guide to the main recommendations of the defence reviews that have taken place since the end of the Second World War.…
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A Westminster Hall debate on ‘Wales’s contribution to the UK armed forces’ has been scheduled for Tuesday 25 February 2020 at 4.30pm. The debate has been initiated by Fay Jones MP.…
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In a vote in July 2016 the House of Commons approved the decision to maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent beyond the early 2030s. After almost a decade of work on the project, that vote subsequently enabled the programme to move forward into its manufacturing phase, which will see the construction of four new Dreadnought class ballistic missile submarines over the next 15-20 years. …
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Looks at the change in the rules to allow all people in receipt of a War Widow(er)s’ Pension in April 2015 to keep it for life (regardless of remarriage or cohabitation) and at the campaign for reinstatement of pensions already surrendered
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This House of Commons Library Briefing Paper provides an overview of policy on the Pupil Premium since its introduction in 2011, including funding levels, eligibility criteria, and accountability.…
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The UK armed forces use a range of bases and facilities in the Middle East. This short Commons Library note identifies the main ones.…
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The Commons Library has compiled a selection of analysis and comment on defence and security related matters, relevant to the UK’s forthcoming withdrawal from the European Union.…
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The Iraqi Parliament has voted to expel foreign forces from Iraq in the wake of the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. This Commons Library briefing paper looks at the UK military in Iraq.
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