Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of time taken was by Capita to process applications to join the regular or reserve forces in the last twelve months.

The British Army conducts recruiting activities in partnership with Capita under the Recruiting Partnership Programme, whereas the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force deliver recruitment in house. The below table therefore represents the average length of time for Army applicants only.

The table below shows the average time in days from application to starting training.

Notes / Caveats

- Averages have been calculated using data from the recruiting year (RY) 2021/22 application cohort data.

- Data for RY 2022/23 is not yet available as it takes time for cohorts to mature to the point of intake.

- There are several variables that may impact the time it takes to progress through the recruitment pipeline, including but not limited to, timely individual participation in the recruitment process, medical/fitness issues, aptitude testing success and availability of training places.

- The recruitment process for Officers can take significantly longer given that candidates can go to university between application and arriving at RMAS.