§ Mr. StreeterTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the statistics for divorces amongst service personnel for the period 1990 to 1994.
§ Mr. SoamesThe number of recorded divorces for Army and Royal Air Force personnel is as follows:
Army RAF 1990 1,409 867 1991 1,352 862 1992 1,347 824 1993 1,157 779 Figures for calendar year 1994 are not yet available.
The information requested for Royal Navy personnel is not held in a form which is readily available and could not be provided without disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will identify, by rank and by service, the entitlement to free trips home each year by personnel368W serving overseas; and if he will set out the cost of this provision for the financial year 1993–94 and 1994–95
§ Mr. SoamesGenerally, only serving personnel who are married but not accompanied by their wives, or single personnel under 25, with an expectation of at least 12 months service overseas, have the option of a return trip to the United Kingdom at public expense. Subsequently, there is an entitlement for a further return trip at public expense for each additional year overseas. This entitlement is not based on rank or service. Among the exceptions to the standard scheme are the Ascension Islands, Diego Garcia and the Falkland Islands, where service personnel in other domestic circumstances may also be entitled to such travel. Details of the costs of this provision are not held separately and could not be provided.