§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the number of new recruits to the armed forces nationally in each of the last three years; and what number of these recruits originated from Bolton.
§ Mr. NeubertThe total number of recruits to the regular forces in each of the last three financial years was as follows:
Numbers 1986–87 34,049 1987–88 33,826 1988–89 33,863 It is not possible to give precise figures on the number of recruits who originated from Bolton without checking each recruit's personal file. However, the following figures show the number of recruits enlisted at the Army's career information office at Bolton, although it is possible some did not actually live in Bolton at the time:
Numbers 1986–87 153 1987–88 170 1988–89 148 It is not possible to give comparable figures for officer applicants, as they are handled centrally, or for Royal Navy and Royal Air Force recruits, as these services do not have offices in Bolton.