Reserve Forces (Hansard, 9 March 1998)

§ 1. Mr. Bayley
If he will make a statement about the role of the reserve forces. [31403]

§ The Minister for the Armed Forces (Dr. John Reid)
The reserve forces support the armed forces in a wide range of operational circumstances. We very much value that contribution, and the link that they form between military life and the civilian community. Their roles are being taken fully into account in our work on the strategic defence review, and our main priority is to make our reserve forces as usable and effective in future as they have been in the past.

§ Mr. Bayley
Is my hon. Friend aware that, in the past two years, the 3rd battalion of the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, which is based in my constituency, has supplied a total of 50 all ranks to support regular forces in a wide range of locations around 2 the world, including Bosnia? Do not the Territorial Army and other reserve forces have a vital role to play in supporting our regular forces and ensuring that we achieve our military objectives, including humanitarian and peacekeeping objectives? Will he ensure that that is properly taken into account during the strategic defence review, and reflected in the White Paper when it is published?

§ Dr. Reid
Yes. We should all wish to pay tribute to the role that has been played, not only by the 3rd battalion of the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, but by the other Territorial Army units, which have done so well in providing members for our activities, not least in Bosnia. We shall, of course, take account of the utility and effectiveness of the Territorial Army and the contribution that it has made to our operations in the past. Like all other elements of our armed forces, it must be rigorously scrutinised, with the aim of ensuring that, in future, all our reserve forces are as usable and effective in the new circumstances as they have been in the past.

§ Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith
Are not combat units the most difficult part of an Army to reinforce? Does the Minister agree that, whereas one can put civilians with specialist qualifications into uniform comparatively easily, the Army is the only organisation that can train people to serve in combat units, and that we neglect at our peril the role of people serving in combat units?

§ Dr. Reid
We would neglect that area at our peril, which is precisely why the Government have no intention of neglecting it. As the complexity of warfare and the security situation increases, many areas of the battle on land and air and in the sea become extremely complex. Logistics and other areas which, in a flexible, deployable force, in the past may not have received the emphasis that they should have done, are another subject, but I agree with the right hon. Gentleman's point on combat units, which is why we shall place such emphasis on them.

§ Mr. Linton
Is not the most valuable 2 per cent. of my hon. Friend's budget the part that is spent on the 3 Territorial Army, especially the infantry battalions—not only because of the links that they forge with local communities, but because of the training role that they play through the Army Cadet force? The London Regiment, whose headquarters are in my constituency, looks after no fewer than 32 Army Cadet force detachments and is greatly valued by the local community.

§ Dr. Reid
Far be it from me to make invidious comparisons between such elements of the British armed forces. However, I take the point about the importance of the Territorial Army—not only its operational support to the regular Army, but its role as the link between the civilian and military community, its role in the regeneration of forces against, perhaps, a more distant threat, and its role in recruitment and in fostering the Army Cadets movement.

§ Sir George Young
The Minister will understand the concern in the Territorial Army and the volunteer reserves generated by the strategic defence review, which is studying its role. Originally, we were told that that review would be completed by last December. We were then told it would be completed in the spring. Last week, the Green Paper on the Defence Diversification Agency stated that an announcement would be made "later this year". Can the Minister bring to an end that damaging uncertainty by announcing a firm date by which the review will be both completed and published?

§ Dr. Reid
If anything, the damage is done by those who would rather have the review rushed than right. Unlike the previous Government, we are carrying out a detailed and in-depth strategic defence review to ensure that our forces are not hollowed out and that they are sustainable, deployable and as effective in the future as they were until relatively recently. Under the Conservative Administration, the Territorial Army had establishment figures of 91,000, which sounded marvellous until we found out that the actual figures were only 75,000. Similarly, when the figure fell to 59,000, we found out that it was actually only 55,000. The stronger the rhetoric from the Conservatives, the weaker the forces that they produced.