§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the numerical strength of the Royal Air Force in each of the past 10 years and how these figures compared with establishments at the time.
§ Mr. BlakerThe total strengths of the Royal Air Force and the establishment figures as at 1 April of each of the past 10 years was as follows:
Total Strengths Establishment thousands thousands 1982 91.5 81.3 1981 93.5 82.7 1980 89.6 81.3 1979 86.3 78.5 1978 84.6 77.2 1977 86.9 76.8 1976 90.7 79.5 1975 95.0 86.4 1974 99.2 90.4 1973 105.9 90.2 Establishment figures represent the optimum number of posts for trained personnel considered necessary to enable the RAF to undertake its tasks. They do not include provision for personnel under initial training or for non-effective manning and training allowances, and are therefore not directly comparable to overall strength figures.