HC Deb 17 January 2000 vol 342 c276W
Mr. Key

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel in each of the three armed services are currently classified as category P7R, unfit for operational duty. [104924]

Mr. Spellar

The medical category P7, with or without the "R" suffix, denotes fitness for specific types of light duties in the Royal Navy or Army. The RAF equivalent is known as Medical Employment Standard (MES) Z 5 (Temp). The "R" suffix with P7 may be used at the discretion of medical officers as an indication that the patient is expected to return to full fitness within a maximum period of up to 18 months.

The three Services maintain statistics on medical downgrading in slightly different ways to reflect their requirements. P7R figures, where available, for each of the Services as at 12 January 2000 are as follows:

Royal Navy Medical Category P7R—1,535 (Ratings only) Figures for Officers not held centrally.

Army Medical Category P7–2,019 (Officers and other ranks).

Note: It is not possible to ascertain the number within this category that may also have been designated "R" as this information is not recorded centrally.

RAF Medical Category MES Z 5(Temp)—1,786 Officers and other ranks)