§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the(a) costs and (b) benefits are of recruiting soldiers from (i) Fiji and (ii) the British Isles. [244006]
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§ Mr. IngramThe Army accepts applications from Commonwealth citizens, including those from Fiji, but does not actively recruit from these countries. However, in response to the large number of applications received from Fiji, the Army sent a selection team to that country in late 1999 at a cost of some £97,000. These costs are not directly comparable with those for recruiting in the UK. The total budget for the UK recruiting operation in 1999–2000 was some £56.5 million.
We believe that the addition of the Fijians to its strength increases the diversity of the force, provides a positive image to other Fijians and other potential applicants from the Commonwealth, and further demonstrates that the Army is an equal opportunities employer. The selection visit to Fiji had the advantage of reducing nugatory costs to the individuals ensuring that all aspirants had the opportunity to apply.