§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria are used to identify soldiers for manning control; whether this information is readily available to soldiers on a regular basis as well as on entrance of contract; and if he will make a statement. [167841]
§ Mr. CaplinThe Notice Paper, a statutory document given to all new recruits, contains details of the soldier's Terms of Service and it states that a soldier's future employability will be reviewed after six, nine and 12 years' Colour service and that he or she may be discharged if their service is no longer required.
Commanding Officers are notified of those soldiers who will reach a Manning Control Point (MCP) within the next 15–18 months. At that stage, the soldier's career and employment potential will be reviewed taking into consideration: length of service, rank, trade and long term potential. Following this review, a soldier being considered for discharge by MCP is sent a letter, giving a minimum of 12 months notice. At this point, he or she is asked to sign a certificate to agree that they have been warned about their potential discharge.
Individual cases are then considered by the Army Personnel Centre against the prevailing manning situation within their Career Employment Group. Thus individuals are assessed for quality and employability against their peers and the required structure for their trade.