Trained Personnel (Hansard, 9 January 1996)

§ 6. Mr. David Nicholson
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the measures he has taken to enable the services to retain trained personnel. [6343]

§ Mr. Soames
The services have well-established measures in place to encourage the retention of trained personnel including incentive bonuses and excellent resettlement provisions. A career in the services today offers a rewarding and often exciting life with excellent opportunities rarely to be found in any other career.

§ Mr. Nicholson
I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. He will be aware that there are widespread concerns, which have been expressed to me recently by service families of constituents, about the number of officers voluntarily leaving the three services. Particular concerns have been expressed about general list naval officers. Is he aware that the reassurances and initiatives announced earlier will be very welcome, but can he assure the House that those initiatives will not involve any lowering of standards in recruitment?

§ Mr. Soames
I am grateful to my hon. Friend. He is right to raise the concern that is felt about what is clearly a problem. The services have been through a difficult and protracted period of change. The process has probably been more difficult than that faced by any other organisation within our society. We believe that the front line is now properly, correctly and robustly configured for the pursuit of our defence and security goals.
Big decisions have been taken. I hope that the men and women in the armed forces can now look forward to a period of stability. I confirm that we shall be seeking no lowering of any standards. On the contrary: we seek always to raise standards. We seek to be a model employer, employing very good people.

§ Mr. Hardy
Does the Minister agree that, as numbers fall and commitments are maintained or intensified, so the threat to the maintenance of good morale in the forces also intensifies, which is something that requires rather more urgent attention than the Government give it?

§ Mr. Soames
On the contrary: as the hon. Gentleman knows—he has considerable experience of these matters—with one or two isolated exceptions where bases or stations have been hit badly by redundancy programmes, morale in all three services is extremely high. I know that the hon. Gentleman undertakes many service visits. He will know that the armed forces are supremely confident of their mission and supremely capable of carrying it out.