Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications were received to join the full time Royal Navy in each month since January 2023.

Below are the requested figures counted to September 2023. Due to how recruiting data is collected, these are the most up to date figures.

Figures define an application as an online application submitted by an individual and accepted by the Recruit Information Technology System, the application system.

With reference to the Rt Hon Gentleman’s similar WPQ of 6 Mar 24, note that the definition used to identify applications before Sept 2017 differs from that used after. Previously an application would be counted after a candidate had submitted an Armed Forces Career Office Form 4 and sat the Recruit Test. As a result, application data after Sept 2017 is not comparable to application data prior to Sept 2017.