§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Ulster Defence Regiment are currently estimated to be Catholics; what is the total recruitment since 1985; and what proportion of recruitment since 1985 has been Catholic.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonAbout 3 per cent. of the Ulster Defence Regiment's current strength have declared their religion as Roman Catholic. Since the beginning of 1985, about 3,000 men and women have been recruited into the regiment of whom just over 4 per cent. declared their religion as Roman Catholic.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the costs of the Ulster Defence Regiment, and its Reserve, divided between wages and salaries, other personnel costs, costs of construction and buildings, investment in military equipment and other costs for the fiscal years 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88 and the projected costs for the years 1988–89 and 1989–90.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonEstimated costs for the financial years 1985–86 to 1988–89 are as follows:
(£ million, current prices) Financial year Wages and salaries Support costs Capital expenditure on equipment Total 1985–86 48.2 3.9 0.7 52.8 1986–87 48.8 4.1 0.6 53.5 1987–88 48.3 4.1 0.6 53.0 1988–89 49.5 4.7 0.6 54.8 Figures for 1989–90 are not yet available.
The figures for works costs are not readily available.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the military equipment of the Ulster Defence Regiment, and its Reserve, listing separately firearms and the type of firearms, motor vehicles, armoured vehicles and type and number of radio, radar and electronics surveillance equipment with which the regiment is equipped.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe current establishment of weapons and vehicles for the Ulster Defence Regiment is outlined as follows. The UDR has no reserve.
565W
Number 5.56mm rifle SA 80 5,977 5.56mm rifle Light Support Weapon (LSW) 989 0.38in revolver 1275 0.22in pistol 11,901 9mm pistol 2901 7.65mm pistol 339 Shotguns 3 Landrovers 274 4 ton Trucks 12
Number Trailers 61 Recruiting Trailer 1 Other vehicles 232 1 Personal Protection Weapons (PPWs). 2 481 of which are issued as PPWs. 3 25 of which are issued as PPWs. The SA 80 and LSW are replacing the SLRs, LMGs, GPMGs and SMGs with which the regiment has previously been equipped. Other equipment can be issued when commitments or circumstances dictate. The radio allocation varies from week to week, dependent upon the tasks and commitments of each battalion.