§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Armed Forces have been discharged from the Services during each of the last two years because they were pregnant; and what proportion of the total number of female resignations and discharges this represents.
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§ Mr. MulleyIn 1977, 432 Service women left the Services because they were pregnant; the equivalent figure for 1976 was 472. These figures represent about 12 per cent. of the total number of Service women leaving the Services each year. Comparable figures for officers are not readily available.
§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement explaining the terms on which women who are dismissed or who resign from the Armed Services because they are pregnant are discharged; and how these terms compare with a normal resignation at the end of a contractual period of service.
§ Mr. MulleyMembers of the women's Services who resign or are discharged because they are pregnant are entitled, subject to a minimum period of service, to terminal leave and financial benefits in the same way as officers and Service women who leave at the end of their engagements. The level of benefits is governed solely by the length of reckonable service given.
§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the Service women who resigned or were discharged from the Services because they were pregnant, during each of the last two years, were unmarried.
§ Mr. MulleyThis information is not readily available and could not be provided without disproportionate effort.