§ Mr. Chapmanasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel are serving in the Armed Forces; and how this figure compares with five years before.
§ Mr. BlakerThe strength of the Armed Services on 30 September 1982 was 323,078. This is 4,563 fewer than the strength at 30 September 1977. These figures exclude locally entered personnel. However, the total trained strength of the Armed Services is 301,000 at 30 September 1982 compared with 296,400 at 30 September 1977. This reflects the much improved retention figures since the late 1970s.