Infantry Battalions (Hansard, 8 March 1994)

§ 12. Mr. Eric Clarke
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current average emergency tour plot interval for an infantry battalion.

§ Mr. Hanley
The average emergency tour interval for infantry battalions in 1993–94 is 17 months. On the basis of current commitments, we expect this to rise to 20 months in 1994–95, and to 30 months thereafter.

§ Mr. Clarke
Can the Minister confirm that 24 months minimum to allow the battalions to do their training is the figure for which we should aim?

§ Mr. Hanley
Certainly, 24 months is the target when we have completed the draw-down in 1995–96.

§ Mr. Robathan
Does my hon. Friend agree that the large number of applications for voluntary redundancies reveals how low morale is currently in the armed forces, and that this is caused by overstretch and the number of emergency tours because there are insufficient troops currently in our Army?

§ Mr. Hanley
The large number of voluntary redundancies is, first, a measure of the generosity of the voluntary redundancy terms and, secondly, the sign of an improved economy outside.

§ Dr. Reid
At a time when there is chronic overstretch among our infantry battalions and when our young men in Bosnia have their patriotism rewarded by being sacked while under fire, is it not deplorable that Ministers have sanctioned the spending of more than £1 million on four houses to be refurbished for the top brass of the RAF? Is that what they mean by putting the front line first?

§ Mr. Hanley
The hon. Gentleman knows very well that the redundancies which were announced were the third phase of the Army redundancies as part of the "Options for Change" programme. They were an orderly reduction of the forces that we have at our command. We need to recruit more as well to keep the flow through and the talent coming in. As for the latter question, I refuse to answer.