Afprb remit letter from the defence secretary: 2023 to 2024

* Ministry of Defence * Office of Manpower Economics * Armed Forces' Pay Review Body Correspondence AFPRB REMIT LETTER FROM THE DEFENCE SECRETARY: 2023 TO 2024 Published 16 November

2022 This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government © Crown copyright 2022 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except

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publication is available at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/remit-letter-to-the-armed-forces-pay-review-body-2023-to-2024/afprb-remit-letter-from-the-defence-secretary-2023-to-2024 Dear Julian, I would first

of all like to express my thanks to the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body (AFPRB) for your report and all the hard work that went into the 2022 pay round. In particular, my thanks go to Peter

Maddison for all his efforts and contributions as the previous chair of the AFPRB. I also would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best as you take on this important role. The

Government continues to value the independent advice and contribution made by the AFPRB on behalf of our Service Personnel, a point reinforced by our full acceptance of the 2022

recommendations. I am now writing formally to ask that you commence the 2023 pay round. For the 2023 pay round the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will submit evidence to you for the Armed Forces

in the usual way, including recommendations on pay, some allowances and on service provided accommodation and food charges. Defence continues to reshape and grow 21st Century skills in line

with the direction in the 2021 Integrated Review and ‘Defence in a Competitive Age’ Command Paper. We continue to strengthen our capabilities and prioritise our activities to ensure the UK

remains ready to deter adversaries and win the new era of strategic competition. As you are aware, the MOD looks forward to the recommendations of the Haythornthwaite Review of Armed Forces

Incentivisation to support us on this journey. The AFPRB’s 2023 recommendations are nonetheless as vital as ever in helping to ensure that Defence continues to recruit and retain the highly

skilled and motivated Service Personnel, we need to deliver Defence’s outputs. My evidence to you will provide details on our recruitment and retention pressures, and I ask that you continue

to consider focussing recommendations on the need to meet Defence’s future vision. Pay awards must strike a careful balance – recognising the vital importance of public sector workers,

whilst delivering value for the taxpayer, considering private sector pay levels, not increasing the country’s debt further, and being careful not to drive prices even higher in the future.

In the current economic context, it is particularly important that you also have regard to the Government’s inflation target when forming recommendations. Over the coming months, MOD staff

will continue to support your visits and work closely with the Office of Manpower Economics to provide papers of evidence and oral evidence sessions for your consideration. I would be

grateful if you could submit your report for the 2022-23 pay round by May 2023. I am copying this letter to the Chancellor, Chief Secretary of the Treasury and Cabinet Secretary. Yours

sincerely, The Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP Back to top