§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the latest figures available for the proportion of commissioned officers in the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force who have received a public school education; what steps is he taking to reduce this proportion; and if he will publish in the Official Report a breakdown of the figures according to the military rank held.
§ Dr. GilbertDetails of the total number of serving officers who were educated at independent schools are not readily available. The Armed Services encourage applications for commissions from suitable candidates from schools of all types. In fact the majority of those who have received commissions in recent years have been educated at State schools.