§ 12. Mr. Hordernasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide figures to show the number of men and women on active service in 1945, in 1973 and at the latest available date, in each of the Armed Services, and the number employed in the Ministry of Defence, distinguished as between industrial and non-industrial civil servants on the same dates.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe total numbers of United Kingdom Service personnel in 1945, 1973 and in 1979 were 5,034,000, 367,000 and 313,800 respectively. The numbers of civil servants employed by the Defence Ministry and its direct predecessors on the same dates were 445,000, 273,000 and 247,000. However, these figures are not directly comparable 123W because the present Ministry of Defence, including the Procurement Executive, is responsible for a much wider area than its predecessors. I am arranging for further details to be published in the Official Report.