To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the Government's policy on the recruitment of volunteers under the age of 18 years into the armed forces. [9813]
The minimum age of recruitment of volunteers into the armed forces is 16 years.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances volunteers under the age of 18 years are (a) required and (b) permitted to be on active service in areas of armed conflict. [9815]
The armed forces comprise entirely of volunteers, regardless of the age of enlistment. Therefore, no service personnel are forced into active service in areas of armed conflict. However, once fully trained, all members of the armed forces are required to deploy to any area or duty, on orders from higher authority.Members of the armed forces are not deployed operationally until they are fully trained. As a general rule therefore, due to the period of training, personnel are not deployed below the age of seventeen and a half years. Exceptions to this general rule may be personnel on board ship and members of the Royal Marines who could be re-deployed directly into an area of conflict from a location beyond the UK base.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the Government's policy towards weapons training for volunteers aged under 18 years in the armed forces. [9811]
The policy towards weapons training in the armed forces is the same for all ages of volunteers. Weapons training and discipline forms an integral and essential part of the normal training programme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of those persons aged under 18 years in the armed forces have been killed on active service since 1993. [9809]
No persons aged under 18 years in the armed forces have been killed on active service since 1993.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to change his Department's policy towards volunteers aged under 18 years in the armed services being placed in situations of danger. [9812]
There are currently no plans to change the rules governing the deployment of under-18-year-olds in the armed forces in situations of danger, although our policies remain under constant review.