§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the policy of the Government in respect of(a) the recruitment of soldiers aged under 18 years and (b) their use in situations of conflict. [89127]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonThe minimum age of entry to the regular UK Armed Forces is 16 years. All young people under the age of 18 who volunteer to enlist must first obtain the written consent of their parents or guardians and great care is taken to ensure that young people understand precisely the nature of the commitment they are making. In respect of deployment, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 October 1998,Official Report, column 1161, in which I stated that in future only service personnel over the age of 17 years would be deployed.