Written questions

Army: Recruitment

Commons · Question 146 · Tabled 13 May 2026 · Ministry of Defence · Official record

Answered 18 May 2026

Question

Asked by Emma Lewell

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many under-18-year-old recruits in Army initial training have (a) requested to leave service, (b) been required to observe a cooling-off period, (c) had their discharge delayed beyond 14 days, and (d) been re

Answer

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones, 18 May 2026

The Ministry of Defence holds data on the number of under-18-year-old recruits in Army initial training who have requested to leave service only from Training Year 2023-24 onwards. Data prior to this period is not available. (a) Number of under-18 recruit...