§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the net inflow/outflow figures for the Army for each month since January 1998 to date. [96121]
§ Mr. SpellarA breakdown of UK Trained Army Personnel inflow and outflow, in the period January 1998 to September/August 1999 (the latest date for which information is presently available), is detailed in the table:
15W
Month Outflow1 inflow2 Net flow 1998 January -1,265 974 -291 February -966 804 -162 March -899 1,000 101 April -932 867 -65 May -947 673 -274 June -921 841 -80 July -936 892 -44 August -961 1,042 81 September -1,133 901 -232 October -985 872 -113 November -804 901 97 December -795 593 -202 Sub Total -11,544 10,360 -1,184
Month Outflow1 Inflow2 Net flow 1999 January -1,124 999 -125 February -833 798 -35 March -909 749 -160 April 1,053 970 -83 May -908 1,010 102 June -932 854 -78 July -801 794 -7 August -822 969 147 September -962 1,024 62 Sub Total -8344 8,167 -177 1 Outflow of UK Trained Army Personnel, includes natural wastage and voluntary wastage. 2 Inflow to trained strength from basic training of Regular Army Personnel.
§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Army recruitment and retention. [96065]
§ Mr. SpellarThe Government inherited a shortfall on Army manning and are committed to achieving full manning by around 2005. We recognise fully that improved recruiting and retention will be key to realising this goal.
In 1998–99, the Army recruited some 610 officers and 15,609 soldiers, which represents 98 per cent. of the overall recruiting target for the year. It was the best recruiting year for the Army since the beginning of the decade and there are encouraging signs that the momentum is being maintained this year. A broad range of national and regional recruiting initiatives are in hand to encourage young people to view the Army as a career of first choice.
The rate at which we lose our people has been too high for too many years, and it is one of this Government's highest priorities to rectify the situation. There has been some improvement in retention in the Army in the last two years, but achieving further improvements remains a challenge. The Army has in hand a series of initiatives as part of its Human Resources Strategy. This includes a six month strategic review being undertaken by external consultants to examine the effectiveness of present Army retention policies, which includes field research and making recommendations for improvements, the results of which will inform the Army's personnel management policies. Other measures to improve retention, which have been welcomed by Army personnel, include an improved operational welfare package, life long learning, and the efforts of the Service Families Task Force.