HC Deb 30 January 1970 vol 794 cc406-7W
Dame Joan Vickers

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, in view of the fact that all Her Majesty's services are at present short of recruits, if he will consider recruiting more Gurkhas to supplement the Army and more Maltese for the Royal Navy.

Mr. Hattersley

There are restrictions on the employment of Gurkhas which in the interests of flexibility require us to impose a limit on the proportion of Gurkha troops in the Army.

Maltese normally enter the Royal Navy as "Locally Entered Personnel" who do their shore service only in Malta and this limits the number we can recruit on these special terms of service. They are also permitted to enter the Royal Navy on General Service engagements under certain conditions.