§ MAJOR ANSTRUTHER-GRAY (St. Andrews Burghs)I bog to ask the Secretary of State for War what steps are to be taken to render Piershill 571 Barracks suitable for occupation by artillery, in view of the fact that they have been condemned as insanitary and unfit for occupation by cavalry.
§ MR. HALDANEPiershill Barracks are not, as they now stand, unsuitable for occupation by a small body of artillery. They were condemned as insanitary for a cavalry regiment on the ground of insufficiency of accommodation, defective structure, and the changed character of the surroundings. Money has already been spent in improving the drainage. A cavalry regiment has attached to it a larger number of officers and of women and children, as of men, than a brigade of artillery.
§ MR. DALZIEL (Kirkcaldy Burghs)In view of the great interest of this matter to Scotland, will the right hon. Gentleman say whether his letter on this subject, published this morning, means that it is intended to continue to have cavalry in Scotland?
§ MR. HALDANEWe have every intention to continue cavalry in Scotland. As the hon. Member knows, cavalry are moved from time to time. It is a delusion that any cavalry regiment, the Scots Greys or any other regiment, has headquarters in Scotland. A large number of the Scots Greys are recruited in England and Ireland. The whole question is whether we can have a cavalry regiment in Scotland, and it reduces itself to this: I am asked to put down in the Estimates a large sum of money, without regard to the necessary requirements of the Army generally, for this particular local purpose. Well, I decline to do it.
§ MR. DALZIELsaid he did not mention the Scots Greys, nor did he ask about headquarters. He asked whether cavalry were to be kept in Scotland.
§ MR. HALDANEsaid the hon. Gentleman could not have read his letter, in which he specifically said that it was their intention, as soon as public funds permitted, to have perhaps more cavalry in Scotland. The whole point was whether he was to be coerced into premature action.
§ MAJOR ANSTRUTHER-GRAYasked whether it was not desirable that the recruiting for a Scottish regiment should be confined as far as possible to Scotland.
§ MR. HALDANEsaid that raised an entirely different question. He was not proposing to alter the present method of recruiting cavalry regiments. He would be glad to see the regiments associated with Scotland by tradition and sentiment recruited as far as possible in Scotland, but there was no intention of changing the system.
§ MR. DALZIELasked whether paying deference to Scottish representations meant coercion.
§ MR. HALDANENo; but people come with local considerations and try to override considerations which affect the good of the Army in general, and in that sense local considerations are not the immediate considerations.
§ MR. DALZIELDoes that refer to Lord Rosebery?
* MR. COCHRAXEasked whether Piershill Barracks were so insanitary that it would be impossible with some slight alteration to provide room for cavalry temporarily.
§ MR. HALDANEsaid he was in close consultation with the Medical Director-General and other medical authorities of the Army, who assured him that the structure of these barracks was so old-fashioned and so bad that it was not possible to keep cavalry there, due regard being had to sanitary conditions. At present the rate of sickness was much above the average in any other cavalry regiment, and he did not feel justified in keeping cavalry there for the present.
MAJOR ANSTEUTHEE-GRAYAre we to understand that as soon as funds permit a cavalry regiment will be quartered in Scotland?
§ MR. HALDANEAs soon as funds permit there will be accommodation provided for cavalry in Scotland, but I must be the judge when it is possible to provide those funds. I have said it is the 573 intention as soon as possible to have not one, but probably two, cavalry regiments there. They are very useful for the purpose of training the Yeomanry, and, moreover, Scotland is an important part of the United Kingdom, and it is only right that cavalry should be stationed there. We are quite alive to that.