HC Deb 20 December 1991 vol 201 cc383-4W
Mr. O'Neill

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service resettlement officers are currently in post; and what is the establishment level for service resettlement officers.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

The information requested is as follows:

Strength Establishment
Royal Navy
Naval Resettlement Information Officers (civilian) 8 8
Education and Resettlement Officers1 27 27
Army
Senior Resettlement Advice Officers 7 7
Resettlement Advice Officers2 16 11
RAF
Professionally Qualified Education Officers 3 86 86

Notes:

1 Seven of these are at sea; in addition, every ship which does not have a full-time education and resettlement officer on its establishment appoints an officer to undertake these responsibilities on a part-time basis.

2 In addition, 27 resettlement advice officers are deployed on a part-time basis.

3 This figure relates to the number of RAF professionally qualified education officers who have resettlement as a significant element of their responsibilities.

Mr. O'Neill

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment is made of the effectiveness of the current programmes of retraining and resettlement for service personnel.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

The resettlement centres carry out regular surveys of personnel who have attended their courses, to try and establish the relevance to their subsequent employment of the training they have received. Some of the results were summarised in the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Ms. Short) on 29 November at columns683–86.

Mr. O'Neill

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have occurred to his resettlement policy for service personnel in the last 12 months.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

It remains our policy to provide a comprehensive resettlement service and we are making provision to extend this service to cater for the increased numbers who will be leaving over the coming years. A temporary post of director general resettlement has been established within the Ministry of Defence to direct and coordinate this activity over the months ahead.