Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question on Armed Forces: Schools, if he will provide the figures for the number of visits by representatives from the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force made to schools and colleges in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England and (iv) Northern Ireland in the financial years (A) 2017-18 and (B) 2018-19.
The Armed Forces only visit schools and colleges when they have been invited to support activities. No visits to schools by the Armed Forces are directly linked to recruitment, other than specific careers/jobs fairs which generally involve a range of employers. While presentations may be given highlighting the careers available in the Armed Forces, no pupil is able to make a commitment to become a recruit in the Armed Forces during the course of a visit. The visits cover a range of activities such as career events, citizenship talks, science and maths challenges and other indoor or outdoor exercises. The purpose of the visit is always agreed in advance.
The requested information is provided in the following table:
Country | Year | Royal Navy | Army | Royal Air Force |
Wales | 2017-18 | 110 | 70 | 157 |
2018-19 | 147 | 217 | 64 | |
Scotland | 2017-18 | 159 | 372 | 463 |
2018-19 | 237 | 399 | 519 | |
England | 2017-18 | 2,448 | 1,988 | 1,774 |
2018-19 | 3,187 | 2,296 | 1,686 | |
Northern Ireland | 2017-18 | 114 | 292 | 18 |
2018-19 | 138 | 396 | 63 |
Notes: Army figures relate to Financial Years. Royal Navy and Royal Air Force figures relate to Academic Years.
Figures are single Service estimates.