§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average cost of recruiting a member of Her Majesty's Forces; what were these average costs for the Army, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, respectively; and what was the total amount spent by his Department in total and by the Army, the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy individually on recruitment.
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§ Mr. WellbelovedIn the financial year which has just ended expenditure on recruiting to the Armed Services amounted to approximately £26 million, comprising some £5 million for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, about £15 million for the Army; and approximately £6 million for the Royal Air Force. The total number of all Service personnel recruited during the same period was 40,243* and on this basis the average cost per recruit was about £654. The average costs for the individual Services, calculated on the same basis, were £570 for the RN and RM; £683 for the Army; and £818 for the RAF. Studies are in hand aimed at achieving reductions in current recruiting expenditure.
* Provisional figure.