HC Deb 10 February 1978 vol 943 cc698-9W
Mr. Mather

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide figures to show the position of the Royal Navy as compared with foreign fleets in terms of numbers, size and tonnage.

Mr. Duffy

The following table compares the composition of the Royal Navy with that of certain foreign fleets. The figures given are approximate and exclude warships smaller than mine countermeasures vessels; they do not indicate fleet capabilities in qualitative terms, nor are they able to reflect other important factors such as deployments, roles, strategy, etc. Information on tonnages of foreign fleets is not readily available.

area of the new battalion-strength unit of the Army to be based on Warminster.

Mr. Robert C. Brown

The new unit whose formation was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 6th February—[Vol. 943, c. 445]—will be known as the Infantry Demonstration Battalion. It will be manned from the infantry as a whole, and, therefore, its men will have come from all parts of the United Kingdom.

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