§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many potential recruits to the Services had to be refused during the three months ending 31 December 1980 due to the need to contain expenditure within cash limits.
§ Mr. PattieApplicants to join the Services can be turned down for many different reasons and it is not always possible to say how many refusals are attributed to a particular factor.
§ Mr. Cartwrightasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out for each quarter of 1980 the number of applications to join each of the Services and the number actually accepted.
§ Mr. PattieThe information requested is as follows:
§ Mr. SpeedThe established strength of the Royal Marines will drop from 8,000 to 7,200 on the disbandment of 41 Commando; in 1981–82, however, the actual trained strength is planned to rise from its present figure of 6,700 to 7,200.
§ Mr. Wallasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give consideration to the employment of Royal Marine commandos as part of the British contribution to a rapid deployment force.
§ Mr. SpeedAs they have recently demonstrated in Vanuatu, the Royal Marine commandos are among the range of United Kingdom forces which might be available, and suitable, for specific operations outside the NATO area. Deployment of an amphibious force is one of the options we would consider for action either alone or in co-operation with United States or other forces, depending on the nature of the task.