§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the future prospects and programme of work at the Royal Army Veterinary Corps unit at Melton Mowbray.
§ Mr. LeeA review of dog training, carried out by a working party which included Army and RAF representatives, has recommended that the training of all service dogs should be undertaken by RAF Newton under the command of an RAVC officer. This means that the training of Army dogs currently undertaken at Melton Mowbray will be transferred to Newton by 1989.
The remaining activities of the RAVC at Melton Mowbray — the equine depot, equestrian training, the Army School of Farriery and the RAVC depot—are not affected by the recommendations of the working party. There are no plans to transfer these functions to any other location in the foreseeable future. The Army is grateful to the people of Melton Mowbray for the support which they have unfailingly given to the RAVC since the corps moved to the area in 1946, and for the pride which they have taken in the corps — pride exemplified by the grant to the corps in 1977 of the freedom of the borough. We look forward to the continuance of this happy relationship.