Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department provides on the (a) length of notice and (b) means of communication required for informing a British Army soldier their contract will not be converted from VEng (Short) to VEng (Full).

There is no notice period for those personnel who do not convert to VEng(Full) as they are not being compulsorily discharged; they are just not being offered a longer engagement than they currently possess.

At the point of 24 months to End of Engagement, the Service person will be contacted by a Resettlement Officer (in accordance with JSP 534) to discuss options for employment outside of the Army. Discussions with the Service Personnel Unit Admin and Regimental Career Manager will be ongoing during that period to ensure that the individual leaves the service as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Offers of extension can be made up until the end of the extant engagement. The service person can enter resettlement and if offered and accept extension, resettlement entitlements may be reset so as not to disadvantage the soldier at their future End of Engagement date. This is subject to the length of extension offered.