HC Deb 13 July 1976 vol 915 cc345-7
4. Mr. Gow

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present strength of the combat units of the Army; what were the equivalent figures on the same date in each of the last two years; and to what extent the Army is at present below establishment.

The Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Army (Mr. Robert C. Brown)

It is not our practice to provide information on strengths of combat units.

Annex E to the Defence White Paper (Cmnd. 6432) outlines the strength of the Army in terms of numbers of major teeth arm units. There has been no change in the past two years although certain units have been re-rolled as a result of our planned reduction in parachute capability.

The strength of the Army is at present at 96 per cent. of establishment.

Mr. Gow

In view of the growing strength of the armed forces of the Warsaw Pact countries, is the Minister satisfied with the strength of our own armed forces? Is he satisfied that the contribution we make to NATO is commensurate with the threat facing the United Kingdom?

Mr. Brown

Yes.

Mr. Canavan

Would not the establishment and the morale of the Army be improved if more consideration were given to the relatives of soldiers? What is the up-to-date position relating to one of my constituents, Private Ogilvie, who was murdered in Germany about six weeks ago? His body has not yet been brought back to his mother for burial.

An Hon. Member

He should have been a mercenary.

Mr. Brown

My hon. Friend knows, as a result of speaking to me almost daily for some weeks and the correspondence we have had, that I have the deepest feeling for the family of this young lad who was murdered in Germany. I am quite sure that his family and everyone else would wish to see the perpetrators of this crime brought to justice. That is why the body is being held in Germany.

Mr. Onslow

Why did the Government think it right to reduce our contribution to SACEUR strategic reserve by cutting the size of the United Kingdom mobile force? Will the hon. Gentleman dissociate himself and his right hon. and hon. Friends from hon. Members below the Gangway on the Government side whose main concern seems to be to reduce the Army and the other Services to the level of a ceremonial sham?

Mr. Brown

The reduction in the SACEUR strategic reserve was a matter of contention on the last occasion I was at this Box. I put it right in correspondence with the hon. Member for Woking. As previously announced, our contribution has been reduced, but we still provide a very valuable contribution to the SACEUR strategic reserve.

Mr. Flannery

Many of us have noticed the expensive and lengthy television advertisements for the Armed Forces. Are they beamed at the unemployed? Does my hon. Friend agree that many young people joining the Services would be better off in trade unions, and will he consider the establishment of trade unions in the Armed Forces?

Mr. Brown

The question of trade unions in the Armed Forces was fully covered in the last defence debate by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force. There is no question of the advertisements being beamed at the unemployed. More than ever, we are seeking the best-quality applicants for the Army.