asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the average age of a major general in the British Army;(2) what is the average age of a brigadier in the British Army;(3) what is the average age of a lieutenant colonel in the British Army;(4) what is the average age of a colonel in the British Army;(5) what is the average age of a major in the British Army;(6) what is the average age of a lieutenant general in the British Army;(7) what is the average age of a general in the British Army.
The average ages by rank from major upwards of officers in the British Army at 31 December 1986 were as shown in the table:
| Rank | Average age |
| Major | 41 |
| Lieutenant colonel | 45 |
| Colonel | 49 |
| Brigadier | 50 |
| Major general | 52 |
| Lieutenant general | 54 |
| General | 57 |
asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether age is taken into account when assessing an officer's suitability for promotion.
Age is one of the factors which may be taken into account in determining whether an individual should be promoted.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the ability of officers over the age of 50 years to direct operations above unit level in a conventional war on the central front.
Assessments of all officers' abilities are made annually in confidential reports.