Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many under-18-year-old recruits in Army initial training have (a) requested to leave service, (b) been required to observe a cooling-off period, (c) had their discharge delayed beyond 14 days, and (d) been refused discharge, in each year since 2016.

The Ministry of Defence holds data on the number of under-18-year-old recruits in Army initial training who have requested to leave service only from Training Year 2023-24 onwards. Data prior to this period is not available.

(a) Number of under-18 recruits who requested to leave service:

*Training Year 2026-27 is ongoing; figures are correct as of 15 May 2026.

Data on the number of recruits required to observe a “cooling-off” period is not held, nor do we hold data on the number of under-18 discharges delayed beyond 14 days. Recruits are formally interviewed to confirm their reasons for requesting discharge and may be encouraged to reflect; however, if a recruit elects to proceed with Discharge As of Right (DAOR), their statutory entitlement is enacted without delay.

There are no recorded instances of under-18 recruits being refused discharge within the DAOR window.