§ 8. Sir William van Straubenzeeasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether more recruits are now joining the armed forces youth training scheme and its civilian counterpart.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement (Mr. John Lee)Recruits are continuing to join the armed services youth training scheme, and last month some 50 trainees joined the scheme, making more than 650 in total.
With regard to our civilian scheme, I am pleased to say that there are signs that the number of young people wishing to join the scheme is increasing, and about 170 of the 250 training places available are filled.
§ Sir William van StraubenzeeI thank my hon. Friend for the encouragement in the second half of his reply. Bearing in mind the value of the armed forces YTS, has he fresh ideas to increase the numbers of those taking part?
§ Mr. LeeI am grateful to my hon. Friend for his interest. We are continuing actively to promote schemes, through recruiting officers, newspaper articles, local radio and television. In many ways the youngsters on the schemes are themselves the best possible ambassadors.
§ Mr. GreenwayHow many of those on the armed services YTS might be recruited into the services permanently if they so wish?
§ Mr. LeeFew of those on the armed services YTS have moved to our regular forces. Obviously, at the end of the year youngsters on the scheme must compete with civilians, but they have an advantage.
§ Mr. EvansIs it not time for the Minister to admit that the scheme is a disastrous flop and scrap it?
§ Mr. LeeIt is certainly not a disaster. More than 3,000 youngsters applied, of whom 2,387 were rejected because they did not meet the high standards that we demand. About 660 youngsters are at present on the armed forces scheme and 170 are on the civilian scheme.