§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps, and at what cost, he is taking(a) to increase recruitment into the Territorial Army and (b) to increase the retention of personnel. [103929]
Date/event Cost 1998–99 Normal trickle recruit marketing culminating in a major Spring Awareness National and Regional Campaign and TA Open Day (13 March 1999). This included the making of a new TV commercial. £5.94 million 1998–99 Corporate Communication strategy developed and delivered in conjunction with Consolidated Communications PR. This included News sheets, Bulletins, leaflet, wide-ranging PR and Video. £280k 1999–2000 By Spring 2000 the year's recruit marketing will have cost £5.3 million. Specific marketing includes a focused Army Medical Service TA Recruit Marketing Campaign (£500,000), an Autumn campaign mainly in cinemas, and a Spring campaign culminating in TA Day on 25 March 2000. The Campaign will include TV at National level, with support from radio and press at Regional level. £5.3 million It is not possible to identify separately the money spent by individual units on direct recruiting because these costs are inextricably linked to payments to individual soldiers.
As far as retention is concerned, the assurance given under the Strategic Defence Review that the TA would be fully resourced and that the TA is to be more usable, relevant and integrated, combined with realistic and exciting training on current equipment, will encourage volunteers to serve on. Over the last 18 months, a TA Retention Working Group has been producing a report which includes a Three Year Retention Action Plan. This contains a number of new ideas and initiatives. In advance of finalisation of the report, three relatively inexpensive but important measures have been achieved:
Introduction of a Retention Brochure—£25,000.Introduction of TA Record of Service and Achievement (TARSA) with a TA soldier can use to record both his military and civilian skills, thus allowing a direct read across from one to the other—£50,000. It is planned that this work on TARSA should migrate into the pan-Army development of Personal Development Records (PDR), which is part of the Adjutant Generals Human Resources Strategy and links with "Learning Force Measures".Setting of in-year targets for all units with a view to reducing the level of avoidable wastage from the TA. Overall wastage is currently about 30 per cent. and the target for 2000–01 will be set at 27 per cent.
§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice he has issued to the Territorial Army on compliance with the working time directive. [105624]
§ Mr. SpellarI will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.