§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 29 June 1998,Official Report, column 7, when it was decided to assign the 1 Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the 1 Battalion The Black Watch to public duties in Scotland during the summer of 1999; if this represents a change from previous plans; and what were the defence considerations involved in the decision. [48804]
§ Mr. George RobertsonThe decision to assign the 1st Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the 1st Battalion The Black Watch to public duties in Scotland during the summer of 1999 was made at a routine planning conference which took place in Scotland about a year ago. This did not represent a change from previous plans. Such planning decisions take into account the Army's operational commitments, the need for units to perform essential military tasks such as training, and the need to provide each unit with the opportunity to fulfil a variety of different defence roles.