§ 29. Mr. WoolasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made by each of the three armed services in meeting their targets for recruitment among Britain's ethnic minorities. [133013]
§ Mr. SpellarThe ethnic minority recruiting goal for 2000–01 is 4 per cent. For the period from 1 April to 1 September this year, 2.2 per cent. of the armed forces intake from the British labour market came from the British ethnic minority communities. Although short of the 4 per cent. goal, the figure represents an improvement on achievement levels for the corresponding period for 271W the last financial year, which stood at about 1.8 per cent. If this improvement continues for the rest of the financial year, it would indicate that ethnic minority recruitment into the armed forces is moving in the right direction.
Ethnic minority recruiting levels broken down for each Service for the period are:
- Naval Service—0.8 per cent.
- Army—2.8 per cent.
- RAF—1.9 per cent.