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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) officers and (b) other ranks in each service were medically downgraded as unfit for front line duties at April 1 in each of the last five years; in how many cases (i) the downgrading was attributable to service and (ii) the injuries were (A) temporary and (B) permanent; and if he will make a statement. [183346] Mr. Caplin: [pursuant to the reply, 19 October 2004, Official Report, c. 593W]: I regret that part of the table contained some inaccuracies. The table details the revised footnote. Information on whether medical downgradings have been attributable to Service cannot be provided due to disproportionate cost. UK regular forces medically downgraded _________________________________________________________________________________________________. July 2001 April 2002 Total Permanent Temporary Total Permanent Temporary Officers RN1 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a RM1 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Army2,3 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a RAF4 580 230 320 580 230 340 Other Ranks RN1 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a RM1 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Army2,3 9,650 n/a n/a 10,210 n/a n/a RAF4 3,360 690 2,660 3,390 740 2,650 April 2003 April 2004 Total Permanent Temporary Total Permanent Temporary Officers RN1 280 30 250 290 40 250 RM1 20 -- 10 20 -- 20 Army2,3 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a RAF4 610 220 390 630 230 400 Other Ranks RN1 2,190 260 1,930 2,480 300 2,180 RM1 560 200 360 720 200 520 Army2,3 11,990 n/a n/a 12,530 n/a n/a RAF4 3,610 900 2,710 3,840 910 2,930 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. n/a = Denotes note available -- = notes zero or rounded zero 1 Data for medically downgraded personnel within the Royal Navy and Royal Marines are not available before April 2003. 2 Army Officer data are not available from April 2001 due to a coding error. This error has now been rectified and new data should be available from August 2004 ( July position). 3 The Army do not split medical downgradings by Permanent/Temporary. 4 RAF totals include Officers and Other Ranks classed as "other".

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

426 c218-20W; 183346

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Armed forces Health Injuries Standards

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk