§ Patrick MercerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on recruitment and retention in the(a) (i) Coldstream Guards and (ii) Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters' Regiment and (b) (1) Royal Scots and (2) Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. [20927]
§ Mr. IngramRecruitment to Infantry regiments is at about the same level this year as last. To the end of October 2001, the Army has recruited to just about 50 per cent. of target for all Infantry Divisions. Although retention data are not centrally collected at regimental level, indications are that recruitment to the specific regiments mentioned is satisfactory and on a par with last year.
Retention in the Army overall is currently holding steady. We expect (and need) an acceptable level of outflow in order to achieve the required manning profile. The premature voluntary exit of other ranks has fallen to 6.1 per cent. over the last 12 months. The rate for officer outflow has remained steady at 4.4 per cent. This maintains the historically very good performance and is well below the peak experienced at the beginning of the 1990s.