§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the numbers of part-time members of the RIR banded by salary levels in increments of £5,000 per annum and indicate the average number of hours per week in each band. [13081]
§ Dr. ReidThe information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British Army and RIR barracks are maintained in Northern Ireland; and if he will list those currently being planned, built, replaced, renovated, re-inforced, up-graded or extended or to be closed. [13079]
§ Dr. ReidThe number of British Army bases in Northern Ireland having approximately 100 soldiers or more is 63.
The Army estate is kept under constant review to ensure it provides best value for money and meets operational requirements. There are no plans to build additional barracks in Northern Ireland. The future of a number of bases is under consideration, but no final decisions have yet been made.
A continual programme of maintenance and development exists to keep the Army estate in good operational order. At present major works projects costing £300,000 or more have been initiated or are underway at the following barracks:
- Alexander Barracks
- Abercorn Barracks
- Shackleton Barracks
- Kinnegar Barracks
- Palace Barracks
- Thiepval Barracks
- Massereene Barracks
- Lisanelly Barracks
- Girdwood Barracks.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the total staffing levels of the Royal Irish Regiment in September(a) 1995, (b) 1996 and (c) 1997, (i) in total and (ii) broken down (1) into numbers of full-time and part-time (2) by gender (3) by perceived religious/community origin and (4) battalion, and indicating those where service is limited to Northern Ireland. [13080]
§ Dr. ReidThe Royal Irish Regiment has one General Service battalion earmarked for world-wide duties, including taking turn on operations in Northern Ireland. The overall strength of the General Service Battalion as at 1 September was as follows: 572 in 1995, 576 in 1996 and 469 in 1997. There are no infantry cap-badged service women in these numbers. A breakdown by gender of other 323W cap badges is not readily available nor is detail on the perceived religious/community origin of serving members of the General Service Battalion.
In addition to the General Service Battalion, there are six Home Service Battalions comprising full time (FT) and part time (PT) soldiers, who serve only in Northern Ireland, except for some training.
1995 1996 HS(FT) HS(PT) HS(FT) HS(PT) M F M F M F M F 3 R Irish Prot 513 56 409 72 497 62 395 65 RC 30 3 10 — 24 1 10 1 Other 14 1 9 — 12 1 11 — 4 R Irish Prot 510 49 408 53 467 47 392 51 RC 13 1 3 — 10 1 3 — Other 2 — 3 — 2 — — — 5 R Irish Prot 320 32 171 20 294 27 176 17 RC 17 2 3 1 23 2 6 1 Other 9 3 7 2 11 3 9 1 7 R Irish Prot 392 20 317 34 374 14 325 29 RC 12 3 5 1 15 2 7 2 Other 10 1 14 — 3 — 1 0 8 R Irish Prot 332 46 295 49 326 39 282 46 RC 9 1 4 1 7 1 2 1 Other 4 — 1 — 13 2 10 0 9 R Irish Prot 362 26 211 21 339 26 185 24 RC 31 2 15 1 32 3 30 1 Other 12 3 9 1 10 3 6 1 Depot R Irish Prot 208 9 — 1 194 16 — — RC 29 — — — 25 1 — — Other 12 — — — 10 1 — — Total 5,250 5,030 Key:
HS(FT)—Home Service (Full Time).
HS(PT)—Home Service (Part Time).
PROT—Protestant.
RC—Roman Catholic.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the overall strength in September(a) 1995, (b) 1996 and (c) 1997 of British military forces in Northern Ireland broken down into numbers attached to the RAF, Royal Navy, RIR, RIR part-time and others. [13078]
§ Dr. ReidThe information requested is set out in the table:
324W
1995 1996 1997 Army 10,612 10,395 111,016 Royal Air Force 1,118 1,124 1,140 Royal Navy 289 296 321 The Royal Irish Regiment Home Service Full Time 3,036 2,847 2,754 The total strength of the Home Service Battalions as at 30 September was 5,190 in 1995, 4,855 in 1996 and 4,757 in 1997. The information requested on (1) the breakdown into full-time and part-time, (2) gender, (3) perceived religious/community origin and (4) battalion is not readily available for the month of September; however the figures for 31 December 1995 and 1996 are set out in the table. Figures relating to 1997 will not be available until early next year.
1995 1996 1997 The Royal Irish Regiment Home Service Part Time 2,154 2,008 2,003 Total 17,209 16,670 17,234 Figures as at 30 September.
1 Includes the Province Reserve Battalion and the Rural Reinforcement Battalion which are fully committed to Northern Ireland although only one company of each is currently deployed in the Province.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the British Army regiments currently deployed in Northern Ireland, indicating the numbers attached to each and the estimated duration of their tour of duty; and if he will make a statement on planned deployment during the next 12 months. [13083]
325W
§ Dr. ReidThe British Army Infantry Battalions currently committed to Northern Ireland are listed in the table, along with their strength and planned tour length:
Strength Length of tour The 1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment 604 2 Years—until August 1998 The 1st Battalion the Grenadier Guards 527 2 Years—until March 1998 The 2nd Battalion The Light Infantry 617 2 Years—until August 1999 The 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 598 2 Years—until April 1999 The 1st Battalion The Queen's Lancashire Regiment 587 2 Years—until August 1999 The 1st Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's)1 609 2 Years—until March 1999 The 1st Battalion The Kings's Own Scottish Borderes 580 6 Months—untill March 1998 The 1st Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment) 568 6 months —until November 1997 The 1st Battalion The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish) 417 6 Months —until April 1998 The 1st Battalion the Parachute Regiment 517 6 months—until December 1997 The 1st Battalion The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)1 462 6 months —until December 1997 The 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment 440 6 months—until January 1998 Figures as at 30 September.
1 The 1st Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the 1st Battalion The Royal Scots, respectively the Province Reserve Battalion and the Rural Reinforcement Battalion, are fully committed to Northern Ireland, although currently only one company of each is deployed in the Province.
In addition there are six Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, totalling 4,757 soldiers, comprising both full-time and part-time members, which are wholly committed to service in Northern Ireland.
The security situation is kept under constant review and the level of Army support to the Royal Ulster Constabulary adjusted accordingly in line with their requirements. However, it is the Department's policy not to disclose details of future deployments to the Province.