§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the particular rôle of the Guards Independent Parachute Company; why it has been disbanded; what will fulfill its further rôle in future; and to what extent members of the Guards Division will in future be able to qualify as parachutists.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownThe rôle of the Guards Independent Parachute Company was to provide pathfinders for the United Kingdom Joint Airborne Task Force—UKJATFOR. As announced in the Defence White Paper, the UKJATFOR concept is to be abandoned. The need for this independent company and consequently for members of the Guards Division to qualify as parachutists will therefore disappear. The pathfinders for our future parachute capability will be provided by the Parachute Regiment