§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the shortfall is of trained pilots in the(a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force. [87855]
§ Dr. Moonie[holding answer 17 December 2002]: For the Royal Navy the overall shortfall of trained pilots is currently 51 (9 per cent.). This however, includes staff and administrative posts; the RN's front-line shortfall is less than 5 per cent. For the Army the shortfall is 10 (1.2 per cent.) and in the RAF the current shortfall of junior officer pilots is 109 (7.3 per cent.) of the requirement.