To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 57928 on Armed Force: Deployment, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the impact of overseas postings on retention rates among service personnel; and whether financial incentives are being reviewed as part of that analysis.
Answered on
2 July 2025
The Ministry of Defence continuously analyses retention data through the use of tools such as staff surveys and exit interviews, to better understand the reasons why personnel leave Service. With this information we seek to improve the offer made to new and existing personnel to make a career in the Armed Forces the first choice for high performing candidates. Retention payments remain under constant review and are targeted where they provide the best value for recruitment, retention and the taxpayer.
Service personnel posted overseas may be eligible for a number of financial measures including Local Overseas Allowance designed to offset differences in the cost of living, X-Factor pay which compensates for the conditions faced by Service personnel, including the impact of isolation and separation from families and Unpleasant Living or Unpleasant Work Allowances for those deployed to particularly remote or operationally demanding locations.
The Ministry of Defence continually reviews and monitors the allowance package to ensure it remains appropriate for varying local economic circumstances through feedback from deployed Service personnel.