§ Mr. Biggs-Davisonasked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent there are now joint operations rooms for units of the Regular Army and Ulster Defence Regiment.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownCo-operation between the Regular Army in Northern Ireland and the Ulster Defence Regiment is very close. Operations are planned jointly, and operations rooms are combined or co-located where desirable and practicable.
§ Mr. Biggs-Davisonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what improvement has been made in recruiting and other publicity for the Ulster Defence Regiment.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownThe allocation of expenditure has been increased, and improvements made include more tele-62W vision commercials, a plan to use local radio, and plans for a new UDR broadsheet.
§ Mr. Biggs-Davisonasked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent the headquarters staff of the Ulster Defence Regiment at Lisburn have served with battalions.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownNone of the members of the staff at the Ulster Defence Regiment Headquarters, Lisburn, has served with the UDR battalions, but most of the staff are Regular Army who have completed previous tours in Northern Ireland with their parent regiments and are very aware of the conditions under which the UDR battalions operate. Commander UDR and his staff maintain very close co-operation with the UDR battalions and spend as much time as possible visiting battalion headquarters and units throughout the Province.