§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total cost of Operation Pilgrim's Progress in November 1981; what was the purpose of the exercise; how many troops and from which regiments were involved; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WigginExercise Pilgrim's Progress marked the culmination of a combat survival instructors course with the aim of exercising the students in the skills learnt during the course. Information on the cost of the exercise is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate effort. 298 men from all three Services participated in the exercise. The regiment contributing the largest contingent was the Parachute Regiment, with the balance from a number of other units.