§ Captain Kerbyasked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that there are many reservists who have never handled the current self-loading rifle, he is satisfied that, in the event of full mobilisation, adequate supplies of this arm and facilities for training, in its use will be immediately available.
§ Mr. ProfumoThe number of reservists untrained in the use of this rifle, which came into general issue to the Regular Army in 1959, is steadily diminishing. It would, however, be necessary, on full mobilisation, to train some reservists who left the Regular Army before 1959, and so had not used the rifle. I am confident that this could be done quickly since it would be a question of familiarising skilled men with a new weapon, rather than training from scratch.