§ 29. Mr. Goodhartasked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for increasing the amount of training in internal security duties given to forces stationed in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. HealeyTraining requirements are kept under constant review and adjusted as appropriate.
§ Mr. GoodhartAs the British Army is strained and stretched, as the right hon. Gentleman has said, by dealing with a tragic but comparatively straightforward internal security problem in Northern Ireland, should it not be considering reviewing its internal security tactics as well as its internal security training? In view of the evidence, will the right hon. Gentleman revise his misguided policy of running down the Army by disbanding major units?
§ Mr. HealeyThe stretch in the forces at present does not compare with the stretch they were enduring in 1964, under the Conservative Government, who were not then facing a situation in Northern Ireland which at the moment is soaking up nearly 10,000 men. There is no comparison between the situation now and the situation then. However, the internal security tactics are continuously under review, and the fact that the Army was able to arrest so many of those responsible for the trouble last weekend is a tribute to the new tactical organisation it has developed.