HC Deb 27 February 1978 vol 945 cc93-4W
Mr. Trotter

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will give statistics on the significant increase in the number of (a) trained officers and (b) men applying for premature voluntary release from the Army and Royal Air Force; to what he attributes this increase; and what action he has taken to correct the situation.

Dr. Gilbert

The number of trained officers in the Army and Royal Air Force who have applied for premature voluntary release in the last five financial years is as follows:

Army Royal Air Force
1973–74 597 514
1974–75 606 447
1975–76 539 472
1976–77 509 497
1977–78 (April-December) 646 537

The number of airmen in ground trades who have applied for premature voluntary release during the same period is shown below:

Royal Air Force
1973–74 3,584
1974–75 3,407
1975–76 2,821
1976–77 2,532
1977–78 (April-December) 2,138

Comparable figures for applications for the Army are not readily available as records are not kept centrally but the number of soldiers actually leaving on premature voluntary release is as follows:

Army
1973–74 5,292
1974–75 6,014
1975–76 4,174
1976–77 3,750
1977–78 (April-December) 3,823

Many factors affect the number of personnel applying to leave the Services prematurely in any one year but I have no doubt that, at the present time, anxiety about pay and conditions of service and turbulence caused by various emergency duties, both at home and overseas, are factors in many cases. Pay is now being reviewed, and will be increased from 1st April.

Forward to