Armed Forces Bill

That has been policy since before I joined the armed forces, which I am afraid to say was in 1970. [Interruption.] No, not 1870. It was 1970. I can assure the Committee that we recognise the need for special care in recruiting and training under-18s. There are currently no plans to revisit the Government's recruitment policy for under-18s, which is fully compliant with the optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict in the United Nations convention on the rights of the child.