Skip to main content

Armed Forces: Harmony Guidelines

Volume 697: debated on Tuesday 8 January 2008

My Lords, on behalf of my noble friend Lord Astor of Hever and at his specific request, I beg leave to ask the Government the following Question:

How many soldiers were deployed on overseas operations in the course of the year 2007 in breach of the harmony guidelines; and what proportion of the trained strength of the Army this figure represents.

My Lords, perhaps I could take this opportunity to send our very best wishes to the noble Lord, Lord Astor of Hever, and wish him a speedy recovery.

In monitoring compliance with harmony guidelines, we do not distinguish between deployments and other causes of separated service. As at 30 September 2007, 10,110 Army personnel had exceeded the guideline of 415 days’ separated service in the previous 30 months. This represents 10.3 per cent of the trained strength of the Army.

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for her kind words about my noble friend, and I am glad to tell your Lordships that he is going on extremely well and arrived home from the hospital this morning. I hope that the noble Baroness will pass on our good wishes to her colleague, the noble Baroness, Lady Taylor, and that she will soon be fit again.

I also thank the noble Baroness for her Answer to the Question. These dismal figures amplify those in the MoD Autumn Performance Report and are surely evidence of overstretch, if the guidelines mean anything. Can the noble Baroness say whether and how the total number of our forces in Iraq has varied in the past six months and what were the numbers in Iraq on Christmas Day?

My Lords, perhaps I can let the noble Lord, Lord Luke, have in writing the number of personnel in Iraq on Christmas Day, and the number relating to his question on Iraq. No, we do not believe that the Army is overstretched; we believe that the Army is stretched, but senior military officers advise that the situation is manageable. However, we remain confident that the Army is capable of meeting current levels of commitment, although we recognise that these levels cannot be sustained indefinitely. The overall situation, however, is improving and we expect that trend to continue.

There has been a gradual improvement as regards the harmony guidelines. For instance, in 2005, 16.9 per cent of personnel exceeded them, whereas in 2007, the figure was 10.3 per cent—so the trend is improving.

My Lords, when will Ministers stop exceeding the defence planning assumptions by 100 per cent?

My Lords, the defence planning assumptions are the MoD’s high-level plan about the level of operations we should be undertaking. We are currently exceeding the defence planning assumptions by 100 per cent. When will we get it to a reasonable level?

My Lords, it is no secret that the Army is operating above planning assumptions. However, the vast majority of personnel are meeting harmony guidelines. Some 10.3 per cent are exceeding harmony guidelines. That tells me that we are stretched, but not overstretched.

My Lords, every one of us recognises the enormous pressures on the Armed Forces at the moment—they are operating under very great pressure and we appreciate and respect that. But is it not incumbent upon individuals or political parties who believe that they are overstretched to tell this House and other people what commitments they would cut, or the extent to which they would expand the Armed Forces to meet those commitments?

My Lords, I agree with my noble friend and I would make the point that when we talk about the Army or the Armed Forces being stretched, we are talking about shortages in certain trades and disciplines. Others have a lot more experience than I have in dealing with these matters, but I believe that that has always been the case—there have always been shortages in certain trades and disciplines. These are being addressed through retention incentives, through increased recruiting and by rebalancing the Army under future structures. At the same time, we are reducing some operational commitments in the Balkans, in Northern Ireland and now in Iraq. This helps to decrease the frequency of operational tours, both for units and for individuals.

My Lord, will the Minister accept that there is a perception that the stress on the pinch points of those particular trades is now more intense than ever? Do we have a point that we cannot go to if we are to maintain the effectiveness of those units, with the stress that is caused to long-serving, experienced personnel?

My Lords, we are continually keeping under consideration those pinch-point areas that the noble Lord referred to. Through FAS, through the new reorganisation and reroling of specialisms within the Army, we hope to start meeting those pinch points. I believe very firmly, as do the senior officers in the services, that we have those pinch points under control, we are aware of them, and we do not see the position as catastrophic in any way.

My Lords, I am sure the Minister will agree that the meeting of harmony guidelines is an important factor in morale. When were the present harmony guidelines set up; are they under review; and is there any likelihood that the present figures will be reduced?

My Lords, as I said earlier, the figures are being reduced over time. In 2005, the harmony guidelines were exceeded by nearly 17 per cent. Now they are exceeded by 10.3 per cent, so those figures are reducing over time.

My Lords, my question relates to the figures that are the harmony guidelines, rather than the number of individuals who are not meeting them.

My Lords, there are no plans to reduce the length of time for operational tours, for instance, or to reduce the figures, within the harmony guidelines, as regards not exceeding 415 days within a 30-month limit. So 415 days would be the time when our armed personnel would be expected to be on separated service. The rest of their 30 months would be on a home base.

My Lords, does the Minister agree that, in an attempt to meet the harmony guidelines, essential training is being cut?