§ 5. Miss Fookesasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied that the quantities of ammunition made available for practice are sufficient for the purpose.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Army (Mr. Robert C. Brown)Yes. The training scales for ammunition are continually being reviewed and appropriate provision made to meet them. Shortages in supply of an individual nature occur from time to time, but the position has improved over the last few years, and should continue to do so.
§ Miss FookesDoes the Minister accept that that is a somewhat complacent reply and that there is real anxiety among the professionals wherever one visits any Army establishments? Will he please give us a better answer?
§ Mr. BrownI do not think that I am being complacent at all. In fact, I am surprised that the hon. Lady made that assertion. There has been an all-round improvement in the last year.
§ Mr. BoscawenDoes the Minister agree that there is concern about the massive increases in the cost of ammunition used for practice in the Services? Will he see whether he can offset some of the cost by putting it on some of the overseas arms sales, so as not to reduce the efficiency of our forces by not allowing them to use sufficient practice ammunition?
§ Mr. BrownThat is another question, but I should have thought that it would not have been welcome to the House and the country if we were to load the cost on overseas arms sales to a point at which we lost out in this valuable export.