HL Deb 12 March 2002 vol 632 c68WA
Lord Vivian

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps are being taken to enable staff sergeants and sergeants to extend their service voluntarily beyond the 22-year point by placing them on a special list. [HL3097]

Lord Bach

Any soldier who has completed 18 years' service on the open engagement, notice engagement or the 22-year engagement, may apply to be considered for service on the long service list (LSL). At present, there are 577 soldiers serving on the LSL (as at 1 January 2002), of whom approximately 200 are staff sergeants and 37 are sergeants. While no guarantee can be given of employment up to age 55, every effort is made to secure this.

Soldiers can also be granted career continuance for periods of up to five years. Employment may be in their own arm or service, or they may be required to serve in another arm or service on transfer.

In addition to this, the Army is currently conducting a study, known as the non-commissioned engagements and career structures study, into soldier career structures. One strand of this study is to examine the possibility of employing more soldiers, including those at the rank of sergeant and staff sergeant, for longer than 22 years.