HC Deb 13 June 2003 vol 406 cc302-3W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role played by the TA training facility at Chilwell in briefing and preparing TA personnel for service in Iraq. [116607]

Dr. Moonie

All Regular Army Reservists and Territorial Army personnel called out under the Reserves Forces Act 1996 for Op TELIC 1, have been mobilised through the Reserves Training and Mobilisation Centre (RTMC) at Chilwell in Nottingham. To date, a total of 3,762 officers and soldiers have been processed for service in the Gulf.

The briefing and preparation process at RTMC Chilwell provides reservists with medical and dental examinations, additional operation-specific equipment and information on pay and allowances.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of Altcar training camp in the training of Territorial Army staff dispatched to Iraq. [116662]

Dr. Moonie

No specific pre-deployment training was undertaken by Territorial Army personnel at Altcar training camp prior to mobilisation to the Gulf. A few individual members of the TA would, however, have undertaken routine training at the camp prior to deployment.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are made for debriefing Territorial Army personnel returning from Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [116666]

Dr. Moonie

On arrival back in the United Kingdom, all Territorial Army (TA) personnel proceed to the Reserves Training and Mobilisation Centre (RTMC) at Chilwell in Nottingham. At RTMC, they receive a number of briefings, covering issues such as resuming civilian employment, returning issued equipment, and arranging pay, leave and allowances. In addition, they undergo a medical examination. The entire process of releasing TA personnel through RTMC should take no longer than 24 hours. They are then entitled to post-operational tour leave commensurate with the period of their mobilised service. Following release from RTMC, aftercare of TA personnel becomes the responsibility of their parent unit.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people have applied to become members of the Territorial Army in each of the last 12 months; how many of the applicants were rejected, broken down by gender; and what the primary reasons for rejection were in each case. [116667]

Dr. Moonie

This information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.