§ 61. Mr. Kelleyasked the Secretary of State for War how many guard duties have been assigned to personnel in the Scots Guards at Pirbright in recent 28-day periods; and how many duties would have been necessary had the battalion been at full strength.
§ Mr. ProfumoSince the 1st September, guardsmen of the 1st Battalion, Scots Guards have been on guard on average for twenty-four hours every four days. If the battalion were at full strength, it would undertake a variety of duties, other than guards, which at its present low strength it is not able to do. The frequency of guard duties would therefore not decrease in direct proportion to an increase in the strength of the battalion. However, taking the Brigade of Guards as a whole, at the moment guardsmen are on guard on average for one day in five.