§ Lord Vivianasked Her Majesty's Government:
How long after the recruitment to the services of Her Majesty's Armed Forces a new recruit begins training; and how many recruits currently have been waiting longer than three months to begin their training. [HL2160]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)The length of time between formal acceptance of the offer of employment in the Armed Forces and the start of training varies between the services and also depends upon the specific trade that the new recruit is entering. In the Naval Service an applicant who has passed the selection process will wait an average of up to 12 weeks before joining to commence training; in the Army, individuals do not normally have to wait more than six weeks; and the average waiting time for RAF recruits to commence training is three months for officers and six/eight weeks for airmen/airwomen.
However, applicants for branches and trades which are either very popular or where only small numbers are required will wait longer before being able to enlist. At its most extreme example, the waiting list to join as a Royal Navy diver is currently three years and for some flying-related branches in the RN the period is 18
96WAmonths. Similarly, successful Army applicants for some specialist trades are having to wait up to a year before a course becomes available.
Applicants can join an alternative specialisation and apply to transfer at a later date. However, there are applicants who are prepared to wait to join in their preferred specialisation.
Of the 1,310 attested applicants currently awaiting entry to the Naval Service, 860 have been waiting for more than three months. Comparative figures for the Army and the RAF are not held centrally, but even the 408 Army recruits whose initial training was temporarily deferred recently will not have to wait more than the normal six weeks.