§ 39. Mr. Ian Harveyasked the Secretary of State for War whether he will revise the composition of the Army Council in order to include the Director of the Territorial Army.
§ Mr. HeadNo, Sir. Since the war the status of the Territorial Army has been changed. It is no longer a self-contained voluntary reserve army, but forms part of the integrated national army. Each Army Councillor deals with Territorial Army affairs in the same way as he deals with Regular Army matters of his responsibility.
§ Mr. HarveyDoes the Secretary of State not feel that, in view of the fact that the Director of the Territorial Army is now also responsible for the Home Guard, the civil problems that arise are of great importance, and that, therefore, they should be dealt with at that level?
§ Mr. HeadNo, Sir, I think that the implications of National Service have been more and more to fuse the Regular Army with the Territorial Army, which is, in effect, the reserve army; and I am sure that, with the present Army organisation that would be an unwise step.