§ 7. Mr. K. Robinsonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many recruits have signed on since the introduction of the nine-year engagement; and what were the figures for the comparable periods in 1954 and 1955.
Mr. WardAs the Answer contains a number of figures I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
The House will be glad to know, however, that the figures for the last five weeks show a considerable improvement over the corresponding periods last year and the year before.
§ Following is the Answer
§ The figures, which cover the period 20th February to the 5th May and the corresponding periods in 1954 and 1955, are as follows:
| 1954 | 1,601 |
| 1955 | 1,335 |
| 1956 | 1,416 |
§ The figures for the last five weeks of the period are:
| 1954 | 603 |
| 1955 | 578 |
| 1956 | 831 |