HC Deb 13 June 1989 vol 154 c396W
25. Mrs. Gillian Shephard

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further steps he is taking to recruit women to the armed services.

Mr. Neubert

We are seeking to widen the opportunities for the employment of women in the armed forces and we expect the number of service women to increase over the next few years. In 1988–89 the number of women recruited into the armed forces rose by 15 per cent. to 3,001. We plan a further increase in the number of female recruits this year.