To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Prime Minister last had official discussions with the individual heads of the three armed services.

My Lords, the Prime Minister last held official discussions with the individual heads of the three armed services, together with the Chief and Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and our Permanent Secretary, on 18 September 2008.

My Lords, given that we are in a serious conflict in Afghanistan and that major decisions have to be taken on equipment and force manning levels, is it not simply outrageous that the Prime Minister has not seen the single service chiefs for more than seven months? Where does he get his military advice from? Is it from the McBrides of this world?

My Lords, I am surprised at the noble Lord’s final remark. The Prime Minister regularly meets members of the Armed Forces involved in operations at all levels, including those in command. He did so again only last week when he was in Afghanistan. On that occasion, he was accompanied by the Chief of the Defence Staff. The Prime Minister will continue to meet members of the Armed Forces at all levels, including the Chiefs of Staff, as appropriate.

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that people feel very positive when they see the Prime Minister talking to troops in Afghanistan? We should recognise that engaging in talks with the troops at all levels is profoundly important for morale in the current situation. We should not forget that.

My Lords, I think that the Prime Minister has made three visits to Afghanistan since last summer. I know that those visits are appreciated by our troops and by the Prime Minister, who feels that direct contact with those on operations is extremely important. I also know that many Members of this House have visited troops on operations. We are happy to arrange that, bearing in mind that we do not want to overburden those who are performing those operations.

My Lords, should not the Prime Minister meet the individual heads of each service very much more often than every seven months?

My Lords, as I said, that was the last formal meeting. He meets them on many other occasions, including on the operational tours I have just mentioned. As far as I know, there have been no complaints from the chiefs of individual services about their contact with, or the availability of, the Prime Minister.

My Lords, in 1998, the Government signed up to the Strategic Defence Review, which said that the Armed Forces should not be committed to more than two medium-sized continuing conflicts at one time. Of course, that is precisely what has happened. We have been involved in two medium-sized conflicts, with no serious increase in the defence budget. Is this not the time for another Strategic Defence Review, to place the forces where they know that they can face the future?

My Lords, as we have said on many occasions, we recognise that our Armed Forces are stretched, but we also recognise that they are not overstretched. There have been considerable increases in the budget. The Treasury has funded the operations that we are involved in, and defence spending on equipment is at its highest ever.

My Lords, does the Minister agree that meeting the chiefs of staff individually would give a better opportunity to hear about such things as the roles of the various services in Afghanistan and whether they think they need improvements in numbers?

My Lords, at the last formal meeting issues such as Iraq and Afghanistan were discussed, as were certain issues such as the service command paper, which is of great importance to the individual chiefs of staff and the equipment examination. There were opportunities at that formal meeting for those discussions, but there are also many other opportunities for those working in the operational field to make their views known to the Prime Minister, who is ready to listen on these matters.

My Lords, does my noble friend welcome the debate that seems to be emanating from the official opposition Benches on the need to review the future of Trident? I trust that we are discussing these matters with the heads of the services.

My Lords, as was made clear in the debate just last Thursday, the Government are committed to the progress of Trident. There are differing views, and there is a cost to be had. We would all like to see moves towards the diminution of our reliance on nuclear weapons, but we would have to be very secure that any progress in that direction did not put the safety of the United Kingdom in jeopardy.

My Lords, the noble Baroness said a few moments ago that defence spending on equipment was at record levels. How do the Government propose to maintain such spending?

My Lords, we have laid out the spending plans very clearly, and I am very pleased with the support that the MoD has had from the Treasury. As I mentioned earlier, all the operational costs associated with Iraq and Afghanistan have come from the reserve, not the MoD budget.