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Written question asked by David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party) on Tuesday, 14 May 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 May 2019. It was answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative) on Monday, 20 May 2019 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Young People

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many 16 year olds signed up to the armed forces in each of the last three years.

Answer

Information on the number of 16-year olds who have joined the UK Regular Armed Forces in the requested period is provided in the table below:

Intake to Regulars at 16 years old by Service, 12-month period to 30 September

Date

12 months to 30 September 2016

12 months to 30 September 2017

12 months to 30 September 2018

All Services

1,140

660

1,530

Royal Navy/ Royal Marines

100

100

140

Army

1,000

500

1,330

Royal Air Force

40

60

70

Notes:

  1. UK Regulars comprise of full-time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service, Locally Engaged Personnel and Non-Regular Permanent Staff.
  1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
254171
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Armed forces Recruitment Young people
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk