§ Mr. Matherasked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for disbanding the Army Youth Teams ; what savings would thus be made ; and whether inquiries have been made into the social cost of this decision.
§ Mr. Robert C. Brown :It has been decided to disband the Army Youth Teams by 5th April 1978. The 395 Service personnel employed in the Army Youth Teams will be released for work of 48W greater military priority elsewhere. In addition, there will be a saving of £500,000 in annual running costs. The decision to disband the Army Youth Teams was taken as part of a larger package of measures intended to reduce defence recruiting expenditure and to switch resources to other areas with a greater military priority and was based on these considerations only.