§ 3 p.m.
§ Lord MOTTISTONEMy 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 what is the reason for the Royal Navy having the highest percentage among all the Services of men leaving after three years' service; and what measures are being taken to correct this.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, the figures published in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1978, relate only to those Servicemen who are eligible to leave after three years' service. The Royal Navy figures cannot, therefore, be compared directly with those of the other Services, because the numbers and proportions eligible to leave at this point vary considerably among the Services. For instance, in the Royal Navy only 29 per cent. of ratings at present choose a notice engagement, which carries the right to leave at, or after the three year point, on giving 18 months' notice. In the Army, about 60 per cent. of soldiers choose to have the three year option and, of course, the annual numbers involved are much larger. The proportion of Royal Air Force Servicemen who are eligible to leave at the three year point is very small, as the majority of airmen commit themselves to a longer period, and a three year option is available only to certain trades.
§ Lord MOTTISTONEMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his lengthy and detailed reply, which I shall be very happy to read, but it seems to me that the complications are such that they avoid the main issue. Is it not a fact that the relatively recent introduction of the three-year engagement for the Navy—which I think arose from a recommendation by a committee set up under the noble Lord, Lord Donaldson—has in fact created the situation in which young men are leaving the Navy at a vital stage in their lives, whereas if they had a longer engagement they would probably not do this? Is it not a fact that life at sea is so different from that ashore that young men become discouraged at this crucial age of about 21, whereas if they survived it a little longer it would be bearable? This does not apply to the other Services. That is a complicated question to a complicated reply, but perhaps the noble Lord would care to come back to me on it.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, the noble Lord is quite right; this is a very complicated matter. I should like to give a set of figures which, I may say, surprised me. This set of figures is similar to a set which I gave to the noble Earl, Lord Cork and Orrery, and which were given in another place. The actual number of Royal Naval ratings giving 791 18 months' notice was, in October last year, 349; in November, it was 267; in December, 1164; in January, 124, and in February, 116. So what seems to be happening is the contrary of what many of us feared.