Armed Forces: Numbers Of Personnel Under 18

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asked Her Majesty's Government:How many members of (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Royal Air Force and (c) the Army were (i) 16 years of age and (ii) 17 years of age on 1 July; which units they are serving with; and what percentage of force numbers this represent in each service. [HL3761]

At 1 June 1999, the latest date for which information is available centrally on all three services: 151 naval service personnel, Royal Navy and Royal Marines, were 16 years of age and 841 were 17 years of age, 0.3 per cent. and 1.9 per cent. of the total strength respectively; 959 Army personnel were 16 years of age and 4,032 were 17 years of age, 0.9 per cent. and 3.7 per cent. of the total strength respectively; 45 RAF personnel were 16 years of age and 393 were 17 years of age, 0.1 per cent. and 0.7 per cent. of the total strength respectively.The list of units they are serving with is provided in the tables below.

Naval service personnel aged under 18 as at 1 June 1999 by unit
Unit	Age 16	Age 17	All under 18
Royal Naval Ratings
HMS Argyll	0	2	2
HMS Birmingham	0	3	3
HMS Boxer	0	3	3
HMS Bristol	1	0	1
HMS Campbeltown	0	1	1
HMS Cardiff	0	2	2
HMS Chatham	1	2	3
HMS Cornwall	0	6	6
HMS Coventry	0	1	1
HMS Cumberland	0	3	3
HMS Dulverton	0	1	1
HMS Edinburgh	0	4	4
HMS Exeter	0	4	4
HMS Fearless	0	5	5
HMS Glasgow	0	4	4
HMS Gloucester	0	6	6
HMS Grafton	0	3	3
HMS Herald	0	1	1
HMS Illustrious	0	20	20
HMS Invincible	0	10	10
HMS Iron Duke	0	6	6
HMS Liverpool	0	5	5
HMS London	0	1	1
HMS Manchester	0	4	4
HMS Marlborough	0	1	1
HMS Monmouth	0	1	1
HMS Montrose	0	3	3
HMS Newcastle	0	4	4
HMS Norfolk	0	1	1
HMS Northumberland	0	4	4
HMS Nottingham	0	1	1
HMS Ocean	0	4	4
HMS Richmond	0	1	1
HMS Sandown	0	1	1
HMS Sheffield	0	3	3
HMS Shetland	0	1	1
HMS Somerset	0	3	3
HMS Southampton	0	1	1
HMS Sutherland	0	2	2
HMS Talent	0	1	1
HMS Trafalgar	0	1	1
HMS Trenchant	0	1	1
HMS Turbulent	0	1	1
HMS Vengeance	0	1	1
HMS Westminster	0	1	1
HMS York	0	8	8
810 Squadron	0	2	2
Margin¹	7	46	53
Other²	9	30	39
Untrained strength	105	482	587
Total RN Ratings	123	702	825

Naval service personnel aged under 18 as at 1 June 1999 by unit
Unit	Age 16	Age 17	All under 18
Royal Marine Other Ranks
40 Commando	0	4	4
45 Commando	0	5	5
Margin¹	0	1	1
Other²	1	14	15
Untrained strength	27	115	142
Total RM Other Ranks	28	139	167
Total Naval Service	151	841	992
Notes:
¹ Includes, for example. those sick or injured.
² Includes those serving in UK shore establishments and those undergoing further training courses.
³ There were no officers, either trained or untrained in the naval service at 1 June 1999 aged under 18.

Total number of soldiers aged 16 and 17 by regiment as at 1 June 1999
Regiment	Age 16	Age 17	All under 18
H Cav	5	46	51
Rac (Unspec)	49	196	245
9/12 L	1	0	1
QDG	0	4	4
Scots DG	0	6	6
RDG	0	9	9
QRH	0	2	2
KRH	1	6	7
LD	0	12	12
QRL	0	3	3
RTR	0	9	9
1 RHA	0	4	4
7 PARA RHA	0	5	5
4 Regt RA	0	11	1
5 Regt RA	0	1	1
12 Regt RA	0	3	3
16 Regt RA	0	5	5
19 Regt RA	0	3	3
22 Regt RA	0	4	4
26 FD Regt	0	6	6
29 CDO Regt RA	0	8	8
32 Regt RA	0	5	5
39 Regt RA	0	1	1
40 Regt RA	0	7	7
47 Regt RA	0	3	3
Other RA Units	104	317	421
RE	70	270	340
R Signals	74	455	529
Guards (Unspec)	54	90	144
Gren Gds	0	27	27
Coldm Gds	0	39	39
Scots Gds	28	40	68
Irish Gds	0	8	3
Welsh Gds	1	19	20
Scots (Unspec)	112	76	188
RS	3	14	17
RHF	6	26	32
KOSB	5	33	38
BW	7	22	29
HLDRS	6	25	31
A & SH	2	29	31
Queens (Unspec)	49	131	180
PWRR	1	19	20
RRF	0	26	26
R Ang	0	15	15
Kings (Unspec)	41	153	194
Kings Own Border	2	7	9
Kings	0	14	14

Total number of soldiers aged 16 and 17 by regiment as at 1 June 1999
Regiment	Age 16	Age 17	All under 18
PWO	0	7	7
Green Howards	0	6	6
R Irish (GS)	4	39	43
QLR	0	17	17
DWR	0	17	17
Pow (Unspec)	45	179	224
D and D	0	7	7
Cheshire	0	25	25
RWF	0	8	8
RRW	3	10	13
RGBW	0	10	10
WFR	0	10	10
Staffords	0	20	20
Light (Unspec)	39	146	185
LI	0	9	9
RGJ	0	17	17
PARA	40	155	195
AAC	0	24	24
RLC (EXE)	101	645	746
RAMC	11	61	72
REME	88	312	400
RAVC	1	2	3
RADC	1	1	2
Int Corps	0	2	2
QARANC	0	9	9
CAM	2	13	15
AG Corps (SPS)	3	57	60
AG Corps (PRO)	0	9	9
Total	959	4,032	4,991

RAF strength under 18s by unit location at 1 June 1999
Location	Age 16	Age 17	All under 18
Aldergrove	0	1	1
Aldershot (Keogh Barracks)	1	8	9
Benson	1	5	6
Boulmer	0	3	3
Brize Norton	0	11	11
Coltishall	0	5	5
Coningsby	0	4	4
Cosford	18	123	141
Cottesmore	0	2	2
Digby	1	3	4
Halton	19	119	138
Headley Court	0	1	1
Henlow	0	1	1
High Wycombe	0	1	1
Honington	0	32	32
Innsworth	0	2	2
Kinloss	1	8	9
Leeming	1	3	4
Leuchars	0	2	2
Linton-on-Ouse	1	1	2
Lossiemouth	0	7	7
Lyneham	0	8	8
Manston	0	1	1
Marham	0	4	4
Neatishead	0	2	2
Northolt	0	1	1
Northwood	0	1	1
Odiham	0	4	4
Rudloe Manor	0	3	3
Shawbury	1	3	4
St. Athan	1	14	15
St. Mawgan	0	3	3
Staxton Wold	0	1	1
Uxbridge	0	1	1
Waddington	0	2	2
Wittering	0	3	3
	45	393	438

Volume 604: debated on Thursday 29 July 1999