§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the existing number of crews for MCM vessels provided by the Royal Naval Reserve; and why it is proposed to cut this number to 18 crews, having regard to the continued 514W vulnerability of British coastal waters to mining and the difficulty of dealing with sophisticated modern mines.
§ Mr. JuddAt present the Royal Naval Reserve is capable of training sufficient men for about 40 mine counter-measure vessel crews. Following the defence review, the plan is to train sufficient men to ensure the provision of 18 crews for war tasks together with a number of officers and ratings to man ships taken up from trade, some of which will be employed in a mine counter-measure rôle. The mining threat is, of course, a NATO matter, and defence planning takes full account of this.
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence why he proposes to reduce the number of mine counter-measure vessels in the Royal Naval Reserve from 11 to six; and, in particular, why the cut is to be made before the Reserve is equipped with new vessels.
§ Mr. JuddThe reduction from 11 to six represents the Royal Naval Reserve's contribution to the overall reduction which is now required in the number of mine counter-measure vessels as a result of the defence review.