§ 18. Mr. Greenwayasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are currently involved in information visits to schools; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeSome 155 service personnel are employed either in presentation teams, which can be made available to visit educational establishments, or as school or college liaison officers. In addition, members of the careers information field force staff of all three services make visits to schools from time to time as part of their more general responsibilities.
§ Mr. GreenwayBearing in mind the fact that there are 30,000 schools in this country, not to mention a large number of colleges and universities, does my hon. Friend not think that that is an inadequate number to go round schools and other institutions to inform pupils what careers are available to them in the services and the role that our service personnel can play in the defence of our country?
§ Mr. LeeOur service personnel do an excellent job. While one would like to have more people allocated to the task, there are manpower pressures.
§ Mr. SkinnerIn view of the fact that the Secretary of State for Defence and his colleagues are up to their necks in business of one kind or another, if the Government find that they cannot allocate sufficient people to carry out a tour of all these areas, may I ask whether the Minister has approached the ex-Secretary of State for Defence, who, seemingly, will have more time on his hands in future, to do the job for them?