§ 11.13 a.m.
Baroness VICKERSMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government to state how many men and women have been refused permission to leave the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and the Army, and for what reason.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, the Services do not require anyone to serve beyond the period to which they have committed themselves. It is, in general, our policy to allow those men and women who wish to leave the Armed Services prematurely to do so, but the timing of their release must be subject to the Services' manning requirements and other considerations such as the need to secure an adequate return of service following expensive training.
Baroness VICKERSMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply, but I asked for numbers, which I have not got. Does he not think that it is very unfortunate to train, for example, a pilot, which costs over half a million pounds, and then not to pay him adequately so that he can keep his family and remain in the Service? Surely this is a waste of taxpayers' money.
Lord WINTER BOTTOMMy Lords, I am sorry that I cannot give the noble Baroness the precise figures for which she asks for all men and women in the Armed Forces. That is a very wide question. I can let her know the position about officers. The number of trained officers who have applied to leave prematurely is 288 in the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines, 600 in the Army and 418 in the Royal Air Force. But, as I pointed out in our most recent debate on the subject, many people who apply for premature retirement do not, in fact, exercise their rights; they change their minds in the course of the period of waiting.
With regard to the question relating to the Royal Air Force, it means that the timing of the release of an Air Force pilot must be subject to the Services' manning requirements and to an adequate return of service following expensive training.
§ Earl CATHCARTMy Lords, can the Minister tell us the average length of time that these restrictions are imposed on individuals?
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, yes, I have an approximate figure. At present, for the Royal Navy and Royal Marine officers the period is between nine and 15 months from the time of their application; for the Army, seven months. In the Royal Air Force the average waiting time at the moment is 20 months.
§ Lord STRATHCONA and MOUNT ROYALMy Lords, I did not quite follow the Minister's figures. I think he said that about 1,200 applications had been received, if one takes the three together; my arithmetic while he was speaking is not my strong point. He did not tell us whether all those 1,200 or so are being held up and not being allowed to leave 1556 when they would wish. Is this what he is saying?
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, what I am saying is a linked reply to the noble Earl, Lord Cathcart, and to the noble Baroness. Approximately 1,300 have applied and the times they have to wait vary from seven months in the Army to 20 months in the Royal Air Force.
§ Lord WIGGMy Lords, will the Minister explain why he cannot provide the figures for warrant officers, NCOs and men, because I should have thought that these figures were the easiest possible to obtain? Perhaps he would be good enough to tell the House (a>/i>) whether the figures exist, and (b) if he has not got them, why he has not. (c) if he has not got them, would he get them, because I can see he wants to know how to do it? I should be quite willing to revise them if he can get them during the course of the day.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMAnswering (c) alone, if the noble Lord will put down a Question, I will give him the answer.