To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the applications guidelines of the Armed Forces Careers Office, Form 5, June 2007, how many people have been refused entry into the Army on the grounds of an allergic disorder in each of the last five years; and how many such refusals were the subject of an appeal supported by medical evidence. (325762)

Information on the number of individuals who have been refused entry to the British Army on the grounds of an allergic disorder is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

However, I can confirm that the Army recruiting and training division headquarters have considered 21 allergy-related appeals against non-selection over the last five years. Of these appeals, four were successful, two were withdrawn and 15 were unsuccessful.