§ 31. Mr. HavardTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action is planned with regard to the application of physical fitness tests for Army recruits; and if he will make a statement on the study into injuries among female army recruits, in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, volume 95. [31924]
§ Mr. IngramThe Physical Selection Standards (Recruits) (PSS(R)) system of testing potential recruits to the Army has been in place since 1998. It consists of a series of tests designed to assess the level of fitness of an individual related to the specific demands of a particular trade, irrespective of gender, and aims to predict the likely6W chance of an individual successfully completing initial military training. The system is currently undergoing re-validation. The study reported in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine compared data associated with medical discharges among recruits trained under the policy in existence in 1997–98 with data for those trained under the PSS(R) regime in 1998–99. The results showed an increase in medical discharges of female recruits due to certain types of injury, such as stress fractures and back pain. Modifications have since been made to the selection and training process for new recruits and the position is being kept under constant review.