§ Baroness Coxasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether promotion of officers in the Royal Navy from Commander to Captain may be expected in an average of four years, whereas promotion for medical officers may not be expected for seven to 14 years; and, if so, what are the implications for morale in the medical services. [HL3676]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanUnder current regulations. until the age of 53 Royal Navy officers are eligible for promotion from Commander to Captain after they have four years' seniority as a Commander. RN medical officers are eligible for promotion when they have between seven and 14 years' seniority as a Surgeon Commander.
The average length of time for such promotion varies between the different specialisations. For non-medical personnel, the average is 6.7 years. For medical personnel the average is 11.3 years.
Promotion in the Royal Navy is on the basis of meeting a requirement for personnel of different ranks. Where a specialisaton requires relatively few senior appointments compared with other branches, the opportunities for promotion will be that much rarer and the seniority of personnel in a rank will be correspondingly higher.