§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Ulster Defence Regiment have left the service as a result of their wounds; and how many have left for psychological reasons.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Ulster Defence Regiment have been killed and wounded while carrying out their duties each year since the inception of the regiment.
§ Mr. LeeThe information is as follows:
Total Killed Injured 1971 5 9 1972 26 21 1973 8 20 1974 7 30 1975 6 17 1976 15 20 1977 14 11 1978 7 6 1979 10 13 1980 9 27 1981 13 19 1982 7 20 1983 10 15 1984 to 8th March 4 1 141 229 Of the 141, 117 were "off duty" when killed.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish a document indicating the vetting procedures used to screen potential recruits for the Ulster Defence Regiment.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many applicants there have been for the Ulster Defence Regiment per year since 1970; how many completed basic training; and what is the annual turnover of trained men from the Ulster Defence Regiment.
§ Mr. LeeRecords from 1981 only are available:
Applications Completed Training Discharges 1981 3,006 1,121 1,332 1982 2,926 1,225 1,375 1983 2,283 1,225 1,319
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a breakdown of the known religious affiliations of members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (a) of the total force, (b) of part-time and full-time members and (c) of all ranks from colonel down to private soldiers, indicating in each case whether full-time or part-time members.
§ Mr. LeeThe information is not available in the form requested by the hon. Member. For the UDR as a whole, between 2 and 3 per cent. have declared their religion as Roman Catholic.
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§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Catholics, (b) Protestants and (c) others have completed Ulster Defence Regiment training since its inception.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total number of serving and former members of the Ulster Defence Regiment for each year since 1970 who have been charged with scheduled offences committed whilst members of the Ulster Defence Regiment; to which barracks they were attached; whether the members were Roman Catholic or Protestant; and what was the rank of the member.
§ Mr. LeeMy noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will write to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the will make a statement on the role of the Ulster Defence Regiment in maintaining security in Northern Ireland; and whether any changes in its role are envisaged by Ministers.
§ Mr. LeeThe Ulster Defence Regiment continues to play a very full part in helping the Royal Ulster Constabulary counter terrorist crime in Northern Ireland. No changes in this valuable role are envisaged.