§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what study he has made of the evidence supplied to him on the high proportion of officers in the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force who had received a public school education; and if he will study the effect this has on the efficiency of the Armed Forces;
(2) if he will take steps to ensure that a very much higher proportion of officers in the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force have a State school educational background;
(3) what are the latest figures available for the proportion of officers in the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force who received a public school education; and how these proportions compare with the overall proportion of the population receiving public school education.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe Services make no distinction between schools in the State and independent sectors, commissions being awarded solely on ability. Details of the proportion of officers currently serving who were educated at public schools are not readily available. The majority of those who have received commissions in recent years have been educated at State schools.