HC Deb 18 May 1998 vol 312 cc583-4
4. Mr. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield)

If he will make a statement concerning the continuing role of the 3 battalion of the Staffordshire Regiment. [41297]

The Minister for the Armed Forces (Dr. John Reid)

The third battalion of the Staffordshire Regiment is currently allocated to a national defence role. The future role of all arms and services within the Territorial Army will be decided as part of the strategic defence review. It is too early to say how individual units may be affected by the outcome of the review.

Mr. Fabricant

Although a number of people will realise that the strategic defence review is not yet completed, does the hon. Gentleman accept that the third battalion of the Staffordshire regiment, a Territorial Army battalion and regiment, is suffering from morale that is not as high as it ought to be? He will know that it is one of the few county regiments left in the country. Can he offer the battalion any encouragement by saying that it will not be disbanded or greatly reduced in size?

Dr. Reid

The Government want to make the future of the TA as valuable to this country as its past has been. We firmly believe that the way in which to do that is to make the TA relevant and usable, ready and available, and integrated with the other defence forces. Those principles will guide our approach to the Territorial Army, and to all the other services, regular and reserve.

Ms Rachel Squire (Dunfermline, West)

As the possibility of a massive Russian land invasion of western Europe and the United Kingdom now seems remote, is it not only right that the strategic defence review should reconsider the role of the battalion mentioned by the hon.

Member for Lichfield (Mr. Fabricant), and of the other regular and reserve forces? Does the Minister further agree, given the outstanding commitment and ability of many of our reserve forces in the TA, the maritime volunteer service and elsewhere, that they should be given an enhanced role under the SDR? Might that not be achieved by the formation of smaller, specialist units which could offer the logistical, technical and medical support that is much needed by our regular forces?

Dr. Reid

I agree with the sentiments expressed by my hon. Friend and with her specific points. Those who seek to cast the Territorial Army in stone in the form in which it was created to face the threat during the cold war do it no service. That is the way in which to create a Territorial Army that is irrelevant to future threats. The Government seek to make the Territorial Army more usable, relevant and integrated, and to make sure that its future is as glorious as its past service to the country.

Mr. Menzies Campbell (North-East Fife)

Does the Minister acknowledge that in the Territorial Army, there is a considerable crisis of morale, not least because of reports suggesting that its numbers may be reduced to as few as 40,000? In the light of the problems of recruitment and hence of undermanning, will the proposals in the strategic defence review take account of the contribution made by Territorial Army soldiers to operations such as Bosnia? Is the Minister aware, for example, that 11 soldiers of the Scottish Yeomanry are deploying on 27 May to the Light Dragoons in Bosnia in order to make up the numbers? Does not that emphasise the importance of the Territorials as a ready reserve to ensure that units conducting such operations are fully manned?

Dr. Reid

The hon. and learned Gentleman points out that the Territorial Army has been used to plug gaps in the Regular Army because of the deficiency in numbers there that we inherited. I am pleased to pay tribute to that. However, it would do no service to the Territorial Army to make its future success depend on the previous Government's failure to recruit to the Regular Army. We want to make sure that the Territorial Army is free standing, yet integrated. We believe that we can create a modern, relevant and usable Territorial Army. That will be a much better safeguard of its future than merely regarding it as being on the substitutes' bench for those who are not present in the Regular Army.