HC Deb 28 April 2004 vol 420 c991W
Bob Spink

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) males and (b) females are employed in the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Air Force and (iii) Royal Navy as (A) commissioned officers, (B) non-commissioned officers and (C) other ranks. [168620]

Mr. Caplin

The strengths of male and female commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks in each service as at 1 January 2004 are shown below:

Naval Service1 Army Royal Air Force
Males
Commissioned officers2 7,110 12,420 9,600
Non-commissioned officers3 16,940 51,470 20,860
Other4 13,240 39,700 16,610
Total 37,280 103,600 47,070
Females
Commissioned officers2 620 1,370 1,330
Non-commissioned officers3 1,120 3,950 1,800
Other4 1,960 2,980 3,020
Total 3,700 8,310 6,150
1Naval Service includes Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
2Commissioned officers include officers designate and above in the Naval Service and Royal Air Force. In the Army, commissioned officers include 2nd Lieutenant and above. As at 1 January 2004, there were an additional 660 male officers designate and 140 female officers designate in the Army, who are excluded from the table above.
3Non-commissioned officers includes junior non-commissioned officers; that is, ranks of Leading Rate and above in the Royal Navy, Lance Corporal and above in the Army and Corporal and above in the Royal Marines and Royal Air Force.
4This represents all other ranks who arc not non-commissioned officers.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Due to rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of their parts.

Figures provided are for United Kingdom regular forces (including both trained and untrained personnel), and therefore exclude Gurkhas, full-time reserve personnel, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists and naval activated reservists.

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