§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the consultation document on the restructuring of the TA was first made available to the TA command; and on what date it was first made available to the Secretary of State for Scotland. [59239]
§ Mr. George RobertsonInitial proposals on the restructuring of the TA were first circulated internally within the Army chain of command and to Territorial, Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Associations on 21 July; and were subsequently provided to officials of the Scottish Office on 20 August.
§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland concerning the proposed disposition of TA infantry and engineering units in Scotland. [59238]
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§ Mr. George RobertsonI have discussed the proposals for the TA in Scotland with the Secretary of State for Scotland on a number of occasions as they have developed.
§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what discussions he has had with other Ministers concerning the anticipated role of the Territorial Army in contingency planning for the millennium bug; [59235]
(2) what assessment he has made of the potential role for Territorial Army units in cases of civil emergency as a result of the millennium bug. [59236]
§ Mr. George RobertsonMy Ministerial colleagues and I have participated fully in the Government's work in addressing the Year 2000 problem. Long-standing arrangements exist under which local authorities can request military assistance, whether from the regular or the volunteer forces, in the event of a civil emergency. As yet, we have received no requests which would indicate any major requirement for military assistance to the civil authorities over the millennium period.
§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision he has made for availability of Territorial Army or regular army units in the north of Scotland in case of civil emergency as a result of the millennium bug. [59237]
§ Mr. George RobertsonThe arrangements for providing military assistance in the event of civil emergency are long standing, well understood by local authorities and apply to the whole of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he will announce his proposals for the restructuring of the Territorial Army. [59240]
§ Mr. George RobertsonI hope to do so next week.
§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to retain a TA engineering presence in(a) Scotland and (b) the Highlands. [59241]
§ Mr. George RobertsonThis will be subject to decisions on the future structure of the Territorial Army as a whole, on which I hope to make an announcement next week.