§ 20. Mr. Piratinasked the Secretary of State for War how many soldiers of the Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies armies have been trained in Britain and British territories; and who is paying for this training.
§ 94. Mr. Rees-Williamsasked the Secretary of State for War how many Netherlands troops are now under training in the United Kingdom; who is responsible for their training, equipment and administration; and what Netherlands troops, other than those now under training in this country, are to be trained here in future.
§ Mr. J. FreemanIn all, about 1,190 Dutch officers and 7,510 other ranks have been trained in the United Kingdom, excluding those who were trained as part of the British Forces before the re-formation of the Netherlands Army proper. Two hundred and forty-eight officers and 2,621 other ranks are under training at the moment. They are administered by the Dutch, but equipped from British sources. These numbers are being reduced considerably in the next month but I cannot forecast beyond the immediate future. As far as I am aware no Netherlands troops have been trained in British territories overseas. Since 15th February, 1946, the cost of all training and, with certain exceptions, all equipment has been chargeable to the Dutch Government. They also paid the cost of any training and equipment provided between 1940 and 31st May, 1944 Between that date and February, 1946, certain specified training and equipment was furnished free as mutual aid.