Manpower (Hansard, 8 February 2002)

§ Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the manpower of each service was in each year since 1997; and how many vacancies were reported. [34834]

UK full-time personnel: UK Regulars, FTRS¹ and Gurkhas
	1 April 1997	1 April 1998	1 April 1999
Service	Trained strength	Surplus/(deficit)	Trained strength	Surplus/(deficit)	Trained strength	Surplus/(deficit)
All services	197,390	-8,325	193,914	-8,025	190,506	-8,732
Naval Service
Total	41,680	-1,231	40,356	-1,581	39,071	-1,872
UK Regulars	—	—	—	—	—	—
FTRS	—	—	—	—	—	—
Army
Total	101,514	-4,845	100,881	-4,594	99,674	-5,597
UK Regulars	97,756	-5,597	97,452	-5,080	96,300	-6,089
FTRS	—	—	—	—	—	—
Gurkhas	3,758	752	3,429	586	3,374	492
Royal Air Force
Total	54,196	-2,249	52,677	-1,850	51,761	-1,263
UK Regulars	—	—	—	—	—	—
FTRS	—	—	—	—	—	—

UK full-time personnel: UK Regulars, FTRS¹ and Gurkhas
	1 April 2000	1 April 2001	1 January 2002
Service	Trained strength	Surplus/(deficit)	Trained strength	Surplus/(deficit)	Trained strength	Surplus/(deficit)
All services	190,419	-8,000	189,026	-9,438	187,789	-9,397
Naval Service
Total	38,877	-986	38,539	-1,358	37,578	-2,189
UK Regulars	38,535	-1,328	38,023	-1,874	36,930	-2,837
FTRS	342	342	516	516	648	648
Army
Total	100,334	-6,062	100,381	-6,592	100,914	-6,059
UK Regulars	96,475	-6,611	96,285	-7,641	96,373	-7,553
FTRS	486	486	646	646	919	919
Gurkhas	3,373	63	3,450	403	3,622	575
Royal Air Force
Total	51,208	-952	50,106	-1,488	49,297	-1,149
UK Regulars	50,993	-903	49,847	-1,517	48,995	-1,186
FTRS	215	-49	259	29	302	37
¹FTRS: Full Time Reserve Service, ie for Naval Service and Army FIRS individuals serve in vacant regular posts and there is therefore no separate requirement for these. RAF FIRS strength figures comprise Full Commitment (FC), Limited Commitment (LC) and Home Commitment (HC). FC individuals in the RAF serve in vacant regular posts, whereas LC and HC establishments are shown as a separate requirement.

Note:

Figures are for UK Full Time Personnel and therefore exclude the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists, Gibraltar Permanent Cadre and Naval Activated Reservists.