HL Deb 19 February 1981 vol 417 c770

3.3p.m.

Earl Cathcart

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average daily number of men absent from BAOR, in the United Kingdom, other than on duty in Northern Ireland, during the last 12 months and what were the principal reasons for those absences.

Viscount Long

My Lords, besides those on emergency tours in Northern Ireland, servicemen absent from BAOR are mainly on leave or on training courses. The numbers absent at any time are monitored and are subject to our continuing to be able to meet our NATO commitments. There are plans for the immediate return of those in the United Kingdom to BAOR in the event of an emergency. It is not the practice to publish detailed information about in-theatre strengths.

Earl Cathcart

My Lords, I must thank my noble friend for that reply which does not really begin to answer my Question. If, as I strongly suspect, the figure for the daily average absence of men from BAOR is a high one, and if the majority of those men so absent are in the United Kingdom on training courses, would Her Majesty's Government consider that it would be more satisfactory, and achieve better economies in this atmosphere of trimmed defence expenditure, to organise training courses either on a central basis or under commanding officers' supervision actually in British Army of the Rhine?

Viscount Long

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that very constructive question. We conduct as much training as possible in Germany. There are limitations on the training areas available, and, for example, we have use of Suffield in Canada for tank training and live firing.

Lord Hill-Norton

My Lords, would the noble Viscount agree with the figure published within the last month in a Bow Group pamphlet which states that, on average, week-on-week there are 12,000 men absent from the Rhine Army in the United Kingdom, on courses at any one time?

Viscount Long

My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble and gallant Lord. Perhaps I might say to him that I can neither confirm nor deny those figures.