Asked by: Emma Foody (Labour (Co-op) - Cramlington and Killingworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of early service leavers (a) were medically discharged and (b) left of their own volition in each service in each of the last five years.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence defines Early Service Leavers as personnel who exit before the end of their agreed engagement or contracted period. The following table refers to outflow following Phase 2 training, from the Trained (RN/RM and RAF) and Trade Trained (Army) UK Regular Forces, including personnel leaving the Services, deaths and recalled Reservists on release. It is not possible to identify the reasons why untrained personnel leave service early.
It should be noted that ‘Medically Discharged’ figures represent those who are suffering from a medical condition that pre-empts their continued service; ‘Voluntary Outflow’ encompasses all personnel who voluntarily exit before the end of their agreed engagement or contracted period, and ‘Other Service Leavers’ includes, but is not limited to, those that exit for reasons of discipline, unsuitability or other unspecified reasons. Figures do not include promotion from Ranks to Officers or flows between Services.
Number and Percentage of Early Service Leavers1 by Financial Year and Service from 1 April 2020 - 31 March 2025
| FY 2020-21 | FY 2021-22 | FY 2022-23 | FY 2023-24 | FY 2024-25 | |||||
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
Total | 7,077 |
| 8,584 |
| 11,317 |
| 11,315 |
| 10,099 |
|
Medically Discharged | 891 | 12.6% | 1,021 | 11.9% | 1,347 | 11.9% | 1,750 | 15.5% | 1,598 | 15.8% |
Royal Navy/ Royal Marines | 280 | 4.0% | 410 | 4.8% | 357 | 3.2% | 370 | 3.3% | 383 | 3.8% |
Army | 502 | 7.1% | 484 | 5.6% | 804 | 7.1% | 1,157 | 10.2% | 1,026 | 10.2% |
Royal Air Force | 109 | 1.5% | 127 | 1.5% | 186 | 1.6% | 223 | 2.0% | 189 | 1.9% |
Voluntary Outflow | 5,268 | 74.4% | 5,978 | 69.6% | 8,400 | 74.2% | 8,101 | 71.6% | 7,304 | 72.3% |
Royal Navy/ Royal Marines | 1,202 | 17.0% | 1,348 | 15.7% | 1,923 | 17.0% | 1,695 | 15.0% | 1,596 | 15.8% |
Army | 2,969 | 42.0% | 3,480 | 40.5% | 4,522 | 40.0% | 4,652 | 41.1% | 4,338 | 43.0% |
Royal Air Force | 1,097 | 15.5% | 1,150 | 13.4% | 1,955 | 17.3% | 1,754 | 15.5% | 1,370 | 13.6% |
Other Early Leavers | 918 | 13.0% | 1,585 | 18.5% | 1,570 | 13.9% | 1,464 | 12.9% | 1,197 | 11.9% |
Notes:
Some of this information was obtained from records whose primary purpose is to ensure appropriate administration, with statistical analysis and reporting secondary functions, introducing time lag and impacting on the quality of data recorded.
Figures align with those found in the Service Personnel Statistics Publication (2025 collection found here: Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics: 2025 - GOV.UK), in particular Table 5d UK Regular Forces Trained/Trade Trained Outflow by Service and Exit Reason.
Defence Statistics release annual updates on medical discharges in the UK Armed Forces as an Official Statistic publication. The last statistical release was on 17 July 2025 which presented data up to 31 March 2025. The latest report can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/medical-discharges-among-uk-service-personnel-statistics-index
Asked by: Emma Foody (Labour (Co-op) - Cramlington and Killingworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of recruits did not pass out of basic training in each service in each of the last five years.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The single Services routinely monitor and review reasons for recruits and trainees withdrawing from training, ensuring that they are supported appropriately. For example, the Recruit Trainee Survey (RTS) annual reports provide summary statistics on the perceptions of training, facilities, food, support and fairness of treatment of Phase 1 and Phase 2 recruits and trainees. The single Services use these activities to identify where improvements can be made to ensure more recruits and trainees complete their basic and professional training to enter productive service in the Armed Forces.
The requested information is provided in the attached spreadsheet.
Asked by: Emma Foody (Labour (Co-op) - Cramlington and Killingworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support veterans in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency transition back into civilian life.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I am working across Government and with civil society to help those who leave the Armed Forces, including those in Cramlington and Killingworth, transition back into civilian life.
Currently the Defence Holistic Transition Policy (JSP100) sets out how the Ministry of Defence supports Service leavers to assist in a successful transition, including through the Career Transition Partnership, Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), Defence Transition Services (DTS) and Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans (IPC4V).
Asked by: Emma Foody (Labour (Co-op) - Cramlington and Killingworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans live in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The House of Commons library has an online data dashboard for constituencies which includes data on veterans taken from the most recent censuses in Great Britain. This is available here:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-data-uk-armed-forces-veterans-2021-census/
England and Wales Census 2021 data showed that 4,387 people in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency reported that they had previously served in the UK armed forces. This represents 5.5% of this constituency’s population aged 16 and over. This compares with 5.0% of the population in the North East region and 3.8% in Great Britain.