§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence why Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve units equipped with 81 millimetre mortars are issued with 3-inch mortar ammunition.
§ Mr. Richard3-inch mortar ammunition can be fired from the 81 millimetre mortar and provides good training value. Existing stocks of 3-inch are therefore being issued to both the Regular Army and the TAVR. When these are used up 81 millimetre will become the normal issue.
§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions are placed on the issue of sights to Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve units equipped with 81 millimetre mortars.
§ Mr. RichardFurther quantities of the Sight Unit C2 are now on order for the Regular Army and T.A.V.R., both of whom have some already. When these are delivered, the requirements of both will be satisfied.
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§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence why Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve units are issued with ammunition boots instead of D.M.S. boots.
§ Mr. RichardAmmunition boots were issued to the Territorial Army and so members of the T.A.V.R. who were in the T.A. may well still be wearing them. But T.A.V.R. units are now normally issued with D.M.S. boots unless the sizes required are not available from stocks of that pattern. In that case ammunition boots may be issued instead.
§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence why Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve units are issued with 1937 pattern webbing.
§ Mr. RichardThere are still substantial stocks of 1937 pattern webbing in good condition and these are therefore still being used by the T.A.V.R. and much of the Regular Army.
§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence what mileage allowance is currently made to Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve personnel in respect of the use of private transport for official purposes.
§ Mr. RichardFor travel by private vehicle on authorised duty journeys, members of the T. & A.V.R. may be paid mileage allowance at the same rates as apply to members of the Regular Army. The rates are 9d. a mile for the first 7,000 miles in a year, and 5½d. a mile thereafter for a normal motor car. For very small cars, motor cycles etc. there are lower rates. An additional ½d. a mile is paid for each official passenger carried.
In cases where there is no official requirement for a member to use his own car for a journey, or the journey could be made by public transport, a lower rate of 3¾d. a mile—or 2½d. a mile for the smaller vehicles—is payable. Where passengers are carried in these circumstances, an additional 1d. a mile is payable for each passenger.
§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is satisfied that the petrol allocation to Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve units is 243W adequate; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RichardYes, I am satisfied.
§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure there has been, in the current financial year, on publicity for the Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve.
§ Mr. Richard£28,000 has so far been allotted for local publicity to the Territorial, Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Associations and to the various Central Volunteer Headquarters. There has not yet been any expenditure on national publicity.
§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will now arrange for payments to Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve other ranks to be made into bank accounts.
§ Mr. RichardThe reorganisation of arrangements for paying TAVR soldiers is nearly complete and the majority are now paid by Giro Order. By the end of the year all TAVR soldiers will be paid by this method. A check will be made thereafter to establish whether there is a demand for payments to be made into a bank account.
§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence why Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve units have been issued with A510 wireless telegraphy sets in place of 62 sets.
§ Mr. RichardThere were insufficient stocks of the A13 to re-equip TAVR units with this set in place of the now obsolescent 62 set. They have therefore been issued with the A510 until stocks of the A13 set become available.