§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence what reduction there will be in the strength of the TAVR element of the Parachute Regiment as a result of the disbandment of 44 Parachute Brigade.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownNone. The three territorial battalions of the Parachute Regiment will be retained. HQ 44 Parachute Brigade will be disbanded, but the personnel of the headquarters will be allocated new roles.
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is proposed to disband 16th Parachute Brigade as a formation; and what reductions are to be made in the strength of the Regular elements of the Parachute Regiment.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownNo; 16th Parachute Brigade will continue for the time being as a brigade of the United Kingdom Mobile Force and in due course will provide the nucleus on which the 6th Field Force Headquarters will be formed. The Parachute Regiment will make a contribution to the overall reduction in military manpower identified in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1975—Cmnd. 5976—but the three regular parachute battalions will be retained.
386W
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence what changes it is proposed to make in the parachute training and operational readiness of each of the Regular and Territorial battalions of the Parachute Regiment.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownAt present all members of the three regular battalions undertake training, but only one battalion will be employed in an operational parachute rôle at any one time. Members of the three TAVR battalions will also continue to undergo parachute training, but their operational rôle is still under study.
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence what units other than infantry are at present trained for an operational parachute rôle in 16 Regular and 44 Territorial Parachute Brigades; and which units other than infantry will be parachute-trained in future.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownRegular support units draw from the RAC, RCT and RMP have lost their parachute rôle with the abandonment of the UKJATFOR concept. In the future regular elements of the RHA, RE, Royal Signals, RAMC and REME will continue to receive parachute training. The following TAVR support units have received parachute training: RA, RE, Royal Signals, RCT, RAMC, RAOC, REME and RMP. The future requirement for TAVR support units is still under consideration.
§ Mr. Jim Spicerasked the Secretary of State for Defence what financial saving will be made by eliminating the parachuting capability of the supporting arms and services of the Territorial Army Parachute Brigade.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownSupporting units of the TAVR Parachute Brigade ceased to jump on 1st January. Their future rôle is still under consideration. The net saving attributable to this decision is not quantifiable, it is one of the measures stemming from the decision to reduce the size of the Air Transport Force, which made a major contribution to the Defence Review savings.
§ Mr. Jim Spicerasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he has been satisfied with the recruiting figures for the supporting arms and services of 44 Parachute 387W Brigade (TAVR); and if he estimates that such recruiting will be adversely affected by his decision to eliminate their parachute rôle.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownI am satisfied with the recruiting figures for the supporting arms and services of 44 Parachute Brigade TAVR. The future rôle of these units is still under consideration but recruiting of the TAVR as a whole is improving.