§ Mr. John BrowneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the military planning figure for the length of warning time for military home defence battalions in 1984; what it is now; and what it is expected to be in 1997;
(2) what were the estimated response times for military home defence battalions from (a) the regular Army and (b) the Territorial Army in 1984; what they are now; and what are the comparable estimates for 1997.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe information requested is classified.
§ Mr. John BrowneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many regular Army battalions are committed to military home defence; and how many will be committed in 1997.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThere are currently 21 regular infantry battalions committed to military home defence; in 1997, the number will be 16.