Army Recruitment (Hansard, 16 June 2004)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)
My Lords, the Army continues to work towards the target for manning set out in its public service agreement. Recruitment has not been capped. We have had considerable success in recent years with various measures aimed at improving recruitment and retention. However, the Army's manpower requirements are dynamic and subject to annual review.

§ Lord Astor of Hever
My Lords, the Minister says that recruitment has not been capped, but there are reports that a six-month freeze on recruitment for the infantry is imminent to save costs. Are these reports without foundation? The Army is 2,960 under strength. It is dangerously overstretched. Does the Minister agree that any freeze on recruitment could result in a very serious gap in the future?

§ Lord Bach
My Lords, before I reply, on behalf of the House may I wish the Lord many happy returns of 752 the day? There must be better ways of spending his birthday than asking me this Question, but I shall do my best to answer it.
The noble Lord should be wary of believing all reports that he reads in newspapers, particularly the Daily Telegraph on military matters. Some measures are being imposed, including restrictions on extensions to full-time reserve service engagements, continuance—service over 22 years—and re-joins of officers and soldiers.
A measure was also implemented to allow some of those who had submitted notice to leave the Army to bring forward their exit date to this financial year, 2003–04. Additionally, there is a pause on some recruits starting their phase one basic training courses. That is likely to be in place until October. However, there is no ban on recruitment. The Army has an enlistment target figure of 11,318 for this financial year, 2004–05. Since 1 April this year, more than 1,500 have been enlisted.

§ Lord Redesdale
My Lords, in his earlier Answer, the Minister said that there was to be a review on the dynamics of manpower. Do the Government have any plans to reduce the number serving in the Armed Forces at present and when would such plans be implemented?

§ Lord Bach
My Lords, we have no such intention at present at all. Of course, the Army's manpower requirements are subject, as are all these matters, to annual review in the light of a number of issues, such as evolving doctrine, new technology, new equipment, possible changes to the operating environment—including current and new threats—and financial constraints.

§ Lord King of Bridgwater
My Lords, will the Minister clarify the reply that he gave earlier to my noble friend in which he appeared to say that recruitment would continue but that training would stop? I am not sure whether I understood that correctly. He appeared to say that training would be postponed until October—that is effectively a six-month freeze on training. Clarification would be helpful to the House if an announcement is imminent. I do not want to embarrass the Minister, but could he make the position clear?

§ Lord Bach
My Lords, I understand that there is no freeze on training. However, the noble Lord will know better than anyone the vital need for each and every new soldier to go through training. It is no good short-circuiting that. It is true that the pipeline of training that leads eventually to the tank of full membership of the Army must be kept at the proper rate. There is no intention, as I understand it, to freeze training.

§ Lord Mayhew of Twysden
My Lords, reverting to the Minister's first reply, is it not straining language to destruction to apply the word "dynamic" to a manpower requirement that is lower?

§ Lord Bach
My Lords, the answer to the noble and learned Lord's question is, "not necessarily", but we 753 are not looking to reduce the size of the Army. We are looking forward to reaching the manning levels by the end of the year 2005–06.

§ Lord Rogan
My Lords, what are the Government's plans for the deployment of the remaining Home Service Battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment?

§ Lord Bach
My Lords, I have absolutely no plans to announce to the House this afternoon, I am afraid.

§ Lord Mackie of Benshie
My Lords, would the Minister reassure the House that the two famous regiments of the Black Watch and the Argyles are up to strength?

§ Lord Bach
My Lords, recruiting overall is good, but some areas do not do as well. It is true that the Scottish infantry regiments, to which the noble Lord referred, are a case in point. We are doing our best and the Army is taking steps to improve the numbers recruited from Scotland. He will be relieved to hear that there is certainly no ban on recruiting.

Lord Morris of Aberavon
My Lords, what is the difference between there being no freeze on recruitment and postponing basic training until October?

§ Lord Bach
My Lords, I am not sure that I quite understand the noble and learned Lord's question. I am not sure that I even heard it.

Lord Morris of Aberavon
My Lords, with the permission of the House, I shall repeat it. What is the difference between the Minister's statement that there is no freeze on recruitment and his statement in the course of his answers that there is a postponement of basic training until some date in October?

§ Lord Bach
My Lords, I do not think that I said that there would be a postponement of basic training until October. There will not be a postponement of basic training until October.

§ Lord Tebbit
My Lords, which of the measures that the Minister read out in answer to my noble friend's Question are dictated by operational requirements, and which are dictated by the fact that there is not enough money?

§ Lord Bach
My Lords, more money has certainly gone into defence in the past few years than went in for a long time before that. That needs to be said. If the Conservative Party were to come to power, we know that it would reduce the defence budget by £1.5 billion in the first two years. However, the noble Lord asks a fair question. There is no doubt that there are financial pressures on us at present, and that is one aspect that affects our judgments. But the other aspects are, as I mentioned and as I remind the noble Lord, doctrine, 754 new technology and new equipment, and changes to the operating environment with all the new threats that our Army and soldiers must face today.