§ Lord Trefgarneasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the present size and role of the RAF Regiment; and what changes they propose to either of these in the future.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (The Earl of Arran)The RAF Regiment provides specialist ground defence of air installations against saboteurs and special forces, and runs and operates the RAF's surface-to-air Rapier missiles at these installations. It currently contains some 2,500 personnel, but this is planned to reduce by about 25 per cent. by the mid-1990s. No change in role is envisaged.