§ Mr. ViggersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the future of mast-manning in the Royal Navy. [35139]
§ Mr. SoamesPersonnel who form the Royal Navy mast manning display team are drawn from the pool of manpower that is temporarily surplus to requirements. This surplus which has enabled formation of the team in recent years, will not be available in future as strengths are brought more into line with naval requirements. Any future formation of the team could be achieved only by the diversion of ratings from priority tasks.