§ Mr. Churchillasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the monthly figures since April 1975 to date of those serving in the Royal Navy who have given 18 months' notice of their intention to leave the Service.
§ Mr. DuffyThe following is the information:
RN RATINGS GIVING 18 MONTHS NOTICE (1) (4) SINCE APRIL 1975 1975 April—June (2) 192 July—September 311 October—December 289 1976 January—March 361 April—June (2) 398 July 53 August 211 September 32 October 677 November 381 December 228 1977 January 295 February 329 March 393 April 239 May 301 June 292 July 256 August 276 September 277 October 349 November 267 (3) December 164 (3) 1978 January 124 (3) February 166 (3) (1) The following groups of RN ratings are eligible to give notice subject to return of Service rules:
- (a) ratings with more than nine years service from age 18 or date of entry whichever is later;
- (b) ratings on initial notice engagements who have completed at least 18 months service from age 18 or end of initial training whichever is later;—notice engagements were introduced in May 1972 and the numbers eligible to give notice under these conditions were still increasing at the beginning of the period of the table;
138 - (c) ratings on initial career engagements who have completed at least three years service from age 18 or end of initial training whichever is later, and have then transferred to a notice engagement; this scheme became available in October 1976 and there was a peak of notice giving at this time by ratings who made use of the new scheme as soon as it was introduced.
(2) Monthly data is not available before July 1976.
(3) Provisional.
(4) Men who give notice may later be allowed to withdraw it. The current withdrawal rate is approximately 25 per cent.