§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the(a) establishment and (b) actual strengths of each (i) regular and (ii) TA infantry unit. [47209]
§ Dr. ReidThe establishment and actual strength of each regular and TA infantry unit is detailed below. For completeness, the total establishment and strength of the Infantry Arm is also given.
Regular Infantry
The established liability of the Army, the Manpower Planning Target, is revised in April and October each year. The total requirement includes those posts filled by infantry personnel away from their units in specific infantry appointments or general appointments which may be filled by personnel from any cap badge. The total liability and strength of regular infantry personnel as at 1 May 1998 was:
Infantry Liability (establishment) Strength Soldiers 25,049 22,458 Officers 2,739 2,726 Gurkhas 2,101 2,555 The infantry deficit at soldier level is being addressed actively through the 'Manning the Army' strategy which aims to bring the Army to full strength by 2002.
The table shows the liability (establishment) and strength of soldiers by infantry unit. Owing to the nature of the cap badge system, only at soldier level can both the establishment and liability be shown in full. A similar breakdown for Infantry officers is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost and effort. Infantry officers, like all Army officers, fill a proportion of posts that are able to be filled from any cap badge, the only qualifying criteria being suitability and relevant experience.
The figures exclude those infantry personnel currently serving in posts away from their parent units.
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Infantry soldiers Unit liability (establishment) Strength Queen's Division 1st Battalion Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment 539 415 2nd Battalion Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment 579 481 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 555 532 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 625 577 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment 519 483 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment 539 541 King's Division 1st Battalion King's Own Royal Border Regiment 625 575 1st Battalion King's Regiment 519 505 1st Battalion Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire 519 493 1st Battalion Green Howards 625 560 1st Battalion Queen's Lancashire Regiment 555 507 1st Battalion Duke of Wellington's Regiment 522 520 Prince of Wales's Division 1st Battalion Devon and Dorset Regiment 565 538 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment 555 511 1st Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers 519 511 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Wales 625 520 1st Battalion Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 581 511 1st Battalion Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment 625 631 1st Battalion Staffordshire Regiment 519 488 Light Division 1st Battalion Light Infantry 539 497 2nd Battalion Light Infantry 555 521 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets 579 451 2nd Battalion Royal Green Jackets 625 625 The Parachute Regiment 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment 544 466 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment 544 450 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment 519 427 Royal Irish Regiment 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment 581 439 Gurkhas 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles 742 765 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles 855 913 The Gurkha Reinforcement Company and The Battalion The Parachute Regiment 0 115 The Gurkha Reinforcement Company The 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment 0 115 The Gurkha Reinforcement Company The 1st Battalion The Royal Scots 0 115 The Gurkha Demonstration Company Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 133 133 The Gurkha Demonstration Company Brecon 100 100 Territorial Army Infantry Units 6th Northumberland Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 532 600 4th Battalion (Volunteer) The Parachute Regiment 531 696 6th (Volunteer) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment 531 493 7th (Volunteer) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment 532 582 4th/5th Battalion the Green Howards (Alexandria Princess of Wales' Own Yorkshire Regiment) 531 423 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) 531 542 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment 530 514 7th Battalion The (Durham) Light Infantry 531 526 3rd Battalion The Prince of Wales Own Regiment of Yorkshire 327 423 4th (Volunteer) Battalion The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment 531 457 6th Battalion The Light Infantry (Volunteer) 531 495 5th (Volunteer) Battalion The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment 566 533 6th/7th (Volunteer) Battalion The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment 530 504 5th (Volunteer) Royal Green Jackets 382 304 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion The Royal Gloucester Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 531 453 4th (Volunteer) Battalion The Queens Lancashire Regiment 529 508 5th/8th (Volunteer) Battalion The Kings Regiment 529 520 4th (Volunteer) Battalion The Kings Own Border Regiment 529 419 3rd (Volunteer) The Cheshire Regiment 373 376 5th (Volunteer) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 564 484 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales) 563 521 5th Battalion The Light Infantry (Volunteer) 527 528 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Wales 532 498
Infantry soldiers Unit liability (establishment) Strength 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Royal Welsh Fusiliers 530 531 4th (Volunteer) Battalion The Royal Green Jackets 530 305 10th (Volunteer) Battalion The Parachute Regiment 530 311 The London Regiment 531 302 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Black Watch Regiment (The Royal Highland Regiment) 374 325 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Highlanders (Seaforths, Gordons and Cameroons) 537 438 7th/8th (Volunteer) Battalion The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) 531 472 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow & Ayrshire Regiment) 530 440 The Lowland Volunteers 532 396 4th/5th Battalion The Royal Irish Rangers 543 497 Notes:
1. Includes Queen's Own Gurkha Officers Gurkha numbers decrease throughout the year (through retirement) until the annual intake at the end of the year
2. A similar breakdown for Infantry officers is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost and effort. Infantry officers, like all Army officers, fill a proportion of posts that are able to be filled from any cap badge, the only qualifying criteria being suitability and relevant experience
3. The figures for Territorial Army infantry units include both officers and soldiers