HC Deb 10 December 1976 vol 922 cc369-70W
Rev. Ian Paisley

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total strength of the Army in Northern Ireland on 1st October 1976; and what were the corresponding numbers for 1975 and 1974.

Mr. Robert C. Brown

Approximate troop strengths, excluding the UDR, in Northern Ireland on the dates quoted were:

1st October 1974 … … 15,000
1st October 1975 … … 15,000
1st October 1976 … … 14,500

The figure for 1975 includes the SPEARHEAD Battalion which was deployed in Northern Ireland for two months towards the end of that year, but is now in reserve in Great Britain.

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