§ 40. Wing Commander Hulbertasked the Secretary of State for War the present strength of the Territorial Army; and how many are tabbed and will therefore not be embodied in the event of an emergency.
§ Mr. StracheyThe strength of the Territorial Army, including women's services, on 31st October, 1950, was 11,152 officers and 98,292 other ranks. A revised 193 scheme of tabbing is in progress and will not be completed until February, 1951. I cannot, therefore, say how many members are tabbed as not available for embodiment.
§ Wing Commander HulbertWhen giving these figures, would the right hon. Gentleman make an effort to give the true figure—I do not say that offensively—so that commanding officers of units may know, in the event of embodiment, how many men will be lost through the tabbing scheme?
§ Mr. StracheyI quite agree that it is most important to get accurate figures, and that is the purpose of this revised process of tabbing.