§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the present condition of the Territorial Army, the volunteer services of the Royal Navy and the volunteer services of the Royal Air Force since they received increased budgets.
§ Mr. HayhoeAs the 1980 "Statement on the Defence Estimates" (Cmnd. 7826–1) makes clear, the Government are committed to maintaining well-manned, well-trained and well-equipped volunteer reserves. The increased rates of bounty and other decisions announced in the course of the past year are a positive demonstration of that commitment. Recruitment has been going very well in all the volunteer reserve forces, and this is particularly true of the Territorial Army, whose strength has increased consistently each month to its present level of 63,292, the highest since the 1967 reorganisation. Recruitment to the three trial regiment squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force has also been most satisfactory and they are already more than halfway towards meeting their planned establishment. The response to the announcement of the creation of a new RNR (Air) branch has been encouraging. The level of manpower wastage from the volunteer reserves remains higher than I should have liked and this has to some extent offset the effects of improved recruiting. But I am confident that these forces are in good heart and that members will be encouraged by the Government's increased support to serve longer and so reduce the level of wastage.