§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel are temporarily stationed in Wales for training purposes each year. [16033]
§ Mr. SoamesStatistics are not maintained in a way that would enable this information to be provided except at disproportionate cost. However, the hon. Member may be interested to note the following.
363WThe Royal Navy has no major establishments in Wales. There are a number of Reserve training centres which cater for the training of local volunteers, and small numbers of RN personnel undertake elements of resource and initiative training from time to time in some areas of the Principality.
For the Army, collective training in Wales is conducted at two Army field training centres, Sennybridge and Castlemartin, and five divisional ranges and training areas. Sennybridge and Castlemartin accounted for 389,462 and 80,000 man training days respectively during 1995–96. The infantry training centre at Brecon and the joint service mountain training centre at Tywyn accommodate respectively 2,400 to 2,700 and 1,100 to 1,300 students per year.
The RAF has approximately 6,200 training places in Wales each year. This includes outdoor activity/leadership training at the RAF resource and initiative training centre at Fairbourne, the joint service adventurous training instructors school at Llanrwst and the joint service hang gliding and paragliding centre at Crickhowell, but excludes detachments at RAF Valley, summer camps and station-organised adventurous training expeditions.
As their name implies, joint service establishments cater for personnel from more than one service and, indeed, some foreign and Commonwealth training.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel are stationed in Wales. [16029]
§ Mr. SoamesOn 1 April 1996 there were some 5,400 military personnel stationed in Wales.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many married quarters there are for military personnel in Wales. [16030]
§ Mr. SoamesThere are currently 2,169 married quarters in Wales.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel were recruited in Wales during the last decade. [16031]
§ Mr. SoamesInformation about the number of military personnel recruited in Wales during the past 10 year is not available for all three services. Such information that is available about recruitment in Wales is detailed:
- Royal Navy: 529 in the last 5 years
- Army: 10,292 personnel since 1987
- Royal Air Force: 825 from 1991–92-to date.
The figures for all three services represent personnel recruited through careers offices located in Wales.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of(a) RAF, (b) Army and (c) Navy units in each Welsh county. [16032]
364W
§ Mr. SoamesThe information is as follows:
County RAF Units Army Navy Clwyd 2 6 - Dyfed 2 5 2 Gwent - 6 - Gwynedd 2 2 - Mid Glamorgan - 3 - Powys - 3 - South Glamorgan 2 5 1 West Glamorgan 1 3 - Note:
Figures include Reserve Centres and exclude Careers Information Offices.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel give their next of kin as resident in Wales. [16035]
§ Mr. SoamesDepartmental records show that as at 14 February 1997 the numbers of service personnel who give their next of kin as resident in Wales are as follows:
- Royal Navy1: 1,341
- Army: 4,662
- Royal Air Force: 1,360
1 Includes Royal Marines.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average annual number of military discharges in Wales for(a) medical and (b) psychiatric reasons in the past five years. [16036]
§ Mr. SoamesThis answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.