HL Deb 03 March 1982 vol 427 cc1297-302

3.48 p.m.

The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Viscount Trenchard)

My Lords, with the leave of the House I will repeat a Statement being made by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence in the other place. The Statement runs as follows:

"Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I should like to make a Statement about our reserve forces.

"In the White Paper in June setting out the conclusions of my Defence Review, I said that the Government were determined to give greater emphasis to the reserve forces and that we intended to expand the strength of the Territorial Army steadily from 70,000 to 86,000 men and women.

"Our first priority must be to improve the operational efficiency, equipment, accommodation and structure of the present Territorial Army. As the House knows, in the coming financial year we are providing for an increase in the average number of man training days to 42 for independent units, and if this increase is used effectively it will enable the TA to achieve a higher standard of training overall. We shall also be allowing selected units to recruit up to a total of 3,500 above their establishment—to overbear—where they can make good use of the extra numbers.

"We shall be raising new units. These will include the equivalent of two new Regiments of Royal Engineers for home defence tasks—that is six squadrons in all. One extra company each will be raised for the Royal Irish Rangers, the 51st Highland Volunteers, and the Royal Regiment of Wales. Re-connaissance platoons will be formed for 15 of the infantry battalions with a NATO role and signals rear-link detachments will be provided to those NATO battalions which require them.

"In addition, better use will be made of existing units through reorganisation. The infantry division based in Britain which will reinforce BAOR on mobilisation will include two brigades formed largely from TA combat units. This division will also rely for its logistic support on a regiment's worth of TA logistic units based in Scotland and the North of England. For home defence, the pressing need for improved reconnaissance will be met by re-enroling three yeomanry regiments.

"The expanded Territorial Army must have suitable accommodation and equipment for its very demanding task. Twelve new Territorial Army centres will be started this year and existing accommodation will be modernised and improved. Issues of MILAN anti-tank weapons and CLANSMAN radios are proceeding well, and that of the 8-tonne truck has just started. The LAW anti-armour weapon and the new, small arms for the '80s will be issued early to TA units assigned to BAOR.

"I would also like to announce the creation of a new Home Service Force, which we plan to start by early September as a pilot scheme. It will be linked to the TA and will consist largely of men with considerable regular service experience. The force will provide assistance to the regular forces in time of tension and war, particularly in the guarding of vital United Kingdom installations. A total of four trial companies will be raised in Scotland and Eastern, Western and South-Eastern Districts. If the scheme is successful, I envisage that the strength of the force could reach some 4,500.

"We must be able to mobilise our reservists rapidly. The new computer-based individual reinforcement plan halves the time needed to mobilise our regular reservists. In last year's exercise over 90 per cent. of reservists reported and we shall build on this major success so that the scheme will eventually cover more than 50,000 men and women.

"We shall go ahead with re-equipping the Royal Naval Reserve. Two of its three highly effective mine-hunters have already undergone major refits and the third is currently doing so. We aim to replace the RNR's mine-sweepers by new vessels—Fleet mine-sweepers —at the earliest opportunity; and I can confirm to the House that we are now taking fresh tender action and that orders for the first batch of four will be placed this year.

"In the case of the Royal Air Force, the House will be aware that three Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment squadrons for the ground defence of operational airfields were set up on a trial basis in July 1979 at Honington, Lossiemouth, and Scampton. I intend to form further squadrons at St. Mawgan, Brize Norton and Marham in the course of the next two years.

"Finally, there are the cadet forces, which have an important role in youth community service and as a source of recruiting to the regular services. We plan to provide some additional support for them in 1982–83, including an increase in expenditure on essential work services and new huts.

"Mr. Speaker, the significance of reserve service lies not just in the extra military capability which it gives, vital though this is. Just as important is the demonstration which it provides of the British people's commitment to their own security. The defence of our nation must be seen to depend not only on the quality of our élite professional armed services, but also on a wide spread of popular commitment to our national defence. Most important here are our young people who have little opportunity to come into contact with our regular armed services, a high proportion of whom serve in HM ships or abroad.

"Mr. Speaker, due to the very low numbers leaving the armed services at present and the consequential reduction in recruit intakes, there is currently some spare capacity in the training establishments of all three services. I have therefore examined a number of possibilities for temporarily filling our excess capacity and have decided on the following scheme. My intention is to offer up to 7,000 young people a short, 2-or 3-week period with each of the armed services starting from the middle of April this year. The courses and all travelling will be free. Young men and women would apply through recruiting officers and would undertake courses with service instructors, covering a range of activities of the kind made available now on Outward Bound courses. Applicants from cadet forces will have priority. The courses will be short, but I hope that a period of mixing with service instructors will give the young people concerned an insight into service life, leading on to the possibility of interesting them in joining the reserves.

"The expansion of the TA and the RAF reserves, the creation of a pilot scheme for a new home service force, the continuing success of the Royal Naval and Royal Marine reserves, who are fully up to strength, and the more rapid system for the assembly of our regular reservists will combine, I believe, to form a useful strengthening of our defences. The modest, wholly voluntary, scheme that I have announced for young people will I hope prove to be a success". My Lords, that ends the Statement.

3.56 p.m.

Lord Peart

My Lords, I thank the Government and the Minister for the Statement. It was a long Statement, and it needs careful study. The review indicates a situation of concern in relation to our forces. We can understand the smaller outflow from the forces due to the unemployment situation. With regard to the plan to increase the numbers and effectiveness of the Territorial Army, I should like to ask what consultations have been held with the representatives of the men and officers of the Territorial Army? Have they been consulted? How will the longer training affect the jobs of territorial members?

I should like to ask, what plans are there regarding TA members' holiday entitlement, taxation allowances, et cetera, and leave of absence from employment? I should also like to know whether members of the Territorial Army will be able to continue with special studies which they have contracted to undertake. I should like to know whether the Government have any policy in that direction. With regard to unemployed men and women spending time with the forces, will their unemployment and social security benefits be affected? We need more information on those points.

This is a very important Statement, and it shows that in some respects the Government have been very dilatory. I believe that they have created havoc in our dockland. However— coming back to another point that I wish to make—reserves are an important part of our forces, and I believe that the House will welcome an opportunity to consider the matter further. There is so much in the plan that I consider it warrants a full day's defence debate, but that is not for me to say. I hope that we shall be able to follow it up.

3.59 p.m.

Lord Mayhew

My Lords, my noble friends and I welcome the rather positive approach of the Government to the reserves contained in the Statement, and we welcome also the concept which runs through the Statement that the reserves constitute something of a bridge between the military community and the civilian community. It is in that context that, while I believe we would all wish that the 7,000 young people could be training for permanent employment, nevertheless since the prospects facing young people today are what they are, we welcome the scheme suggested by the Government. We look forward to further details about it being given to the House, and we hope that it succeeds.

May I ask the noble Viscount, what is the additional cost of these measures? May I ask him also, how large does he expect the Territorial Army to be at the end of this operation? May I further ask him to explain a little more why it is necessary to have a special independent scheme for a home service force? It is not clear at all why the duty of helping the regulars to guard national installations cannot be performed perfectly well by the Territorial Army. What special role will this new force have, and why is it necessary to incorporate it in an independent manner in this way?

Finally, may I ask the noble Viscount whether this rather more positive attitude of the Government towards the reserves means that in future training will not be interrupted by lack of petrol, ammunition and other vital necessities and equipment?

4.2 p.m.

Viscount Trenchard

My Lords, if I may deal with the points raised by the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition and the noble Lord, Lord Mayhew, I believe that there has been a great deal of consultation with the Territorial Army on what it was thought should be done. The Government have now come to decisions, and there will be further consultation on the implementation. I believe that that is the normal procedure. I did not entirely follow (I may have to write to him) the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition in his questions concerning social security There is no change here at all in relation to the Territorial Army, and I do not think the point will come up in relation to the special home service force. As far as concerns the adventure courses for young people between 16 and 18, social security will continue to be paid.

Neither, completely, am I clear as to his worry in relation to leave and contracted studies unless, again, it is in relation to the adventure training courses in the summer; and this, of course, is entirely as to who will volunteer, who has spare time and who believes that these courses will be of benefit. I accept the noble Lord's point that there is a great deal in this Statement, and that it may well be the wish of the House that we should provide an occasion on which there is more time to discuss the many points concerned, either on their own or perhaps in relation to other defence aspects.

I thank the noble Lord, Lord Mayhew, for his general welcome. He asked the cost of these measures. I am not sure whether he was referring to all the measures. The young people's courses will be of the order of £1½ million, because only marginal costs of food and transport are really involved. This, indeed, is the purpose of the scheme—to use facilities and spare capacity which we have at the present time.

Lord Mayhew

My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Viscount will very kindly give us the overall costs of the measures he is proposing?

Viscount Trenchard

My Lords, I think that all I will say in the time available to discuss a Statement is that, as a percentage of the Army budget, which does not completely include all the things that the Territorial Army use (because it is hard to separate the costs of some of them) it is at the moment of the order of 4 per cent. of their budget; and this may rise, for the main part of the measures which fall on the Army side, to some 5½ per cent. of their budget.

It is hard to forecast exactly the numbers by which the total Territorial Army will increase here, particularly as the progress of overstrength and overbearing will be seen only as time goes on; but we believe that the 70,000 which that force has increased to now will certainly go up much closer to 80,000 over several years ahead. The reason for the new force, and why we have not just given it as an extra duty to the Territorial Army, is because we know that certain key installations in this country are vulnerable to surprise attack. We know that the USSR have specially trained forces of a considerable size for such objectives, and we believe that we can make use of past military experience in the localities where these key installations are for the one and specific purpose which, for instance, is not so affected by age as a general army or territorial curriculum requires. We therefore believe that this special force is the best way to deal with this matter, and thus to release fully-trained members of the Territorial Army for home defence on a much broader base.

Lord Beswick

My Lords, could the noble Viscount clarify the sentence about offering 7,000 people a 2- to 3-week course? Does he mean 7,000 on a 2- to 3-week course, or does he mean 7,000 throughout the year on 2- to 3-week courses? If it is 7,000 throughout the year, does he not envisage somebody having quite a job in selecting the applicants?

Viscount Trenchard

My Lords, this is a new scheme and we must see how it goes; but the plan is to give 2- to 3-week courses to a total of 7,000 young people between April and October of this year, using the spare capacity in the establishments which we have over that period.

Earl de la Warr

My Lords, could my noble friend enlighten me on a point which has been touched on already and which I know concerns greatly the TA Council? It concerns the question of the docking of unemployment benefits from territorial soldiers when they go on training weekends or on their fortnight's camp. Is it a fact, as I believe it to be, that almost the whole of the benefit is lost when a territorial soldier who is unemployed performs these duties?

Viscount Trenchard

My Lords, I will write to my noble friend and to the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition, because I think this is an overlapping point. It is not affected by these new measures, but I will find out the exact position and let my noble friend know.

Lord Clifford of Chudleigh

My Lords, could the noble Viscount be more specific on the reconnaissance role of the yeomanry regiments? I am rather anxious, particularly bearing in mind the big gap that exists at the moment in the South-West.

Viscount Trenchard

My Lords, the need for improved reconnaissance in relation to the yeomanry regiments is for home defence purposes, and as I understand this it is Land Rovers, small teams, platoons, but working in very much their section and smaller units, with radio links, in fact finding out (in the, I hope, never-to-arise event of being invaded) who is where; and being trained to do that and get away without trouble. The regiments concerned may interest the noble Lord: the Royal Wessex Yeomanry, the Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry and the Duke of Lancaster's Yeomanry.

Lord Saint Oswald

My Lords, in all conscience I feel I should preface my single question by saying to my noble friend how very greatly I feel fortified by every aspect of his Statement that I have understood. I wonder whether it would be too much to ask him to spell out a little further what he said about the expansion of the role of the logistic forces in Scotland and Northern England, in the second of which areas I am closely and fairly actively involved in the Territorial Army context?

Viscount Trenchard

My Lords, I cannot give my noble friend much detail. This is a reorganisation which is part of a re-roling affecting both the Regular Army and the Territorial Army. The division which is assigned to the reinforcement of BAOR will in future have a regiment's worth—that is, the equivalent of a battalion strength or a regiment strength of logistic support. This will include transport, ordnance, ambulances and so on. This regiment will be based on Territorial Army logistic units which are based at the moment in Scotland—I cannot say where they are, but I can let my noble friend know—and also in the North of England.

Lord Leatherland

My Lords, can the Minister say whether he intends to issue a White Paper setting out in more detail the scope of these proposals? I ask that as a great believer in the Territorial Army, as one who served for 20 years on my county association in the Territorial Army and who soldiered alongside them on the Somme in the First World War.

Viscount Trenchard

My Lords, at the moment it is not planned to issue a White Paper. The Statement will be studied in considerable detail. In the case of the youth scheme, which is not the immediate concern that the noble Lord has just mentioned, there will be considerable further detail released. I would take this opportunity to say that young people should not volunteer for this scheme until after the end of this month, by which time application forms and details will have been circulated and local recruitment depôts will have been briefed. But, in relation to the Territorial Army, no doubt there will be more discussion in Parliament, and, undoubtedly, individual announcements in the localities concerned. I can give the noble Lord a little more information and certainly it will come out bit by bit.

Lord Sandys

My Lords, we have now spent 24 minutes on this very important Statement and are returning to the Motion.