§ 73. Mr. Colin ShepherdTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the level of recruitment to the Royal Navy.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonIn the last complete financial year, which ended in March, the achievement in relation to targets was 93 per cent. for officers and 91 per cent. for ratings. It is too soon to say what the achievement will be in 1989–90, but we are mindful of the fact that both economic and demographic conditions affect recruiting and we are accordingly increasing our efforts in this respect. The additional advertising in which we are engaging is producing an increase in applications, but we are by no means complacent.