§ 15. Mr. RobathanTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many soldiers were on duty in the Province on(a) the date on which he assumed office and (b) over the Christmas period in 1999. [117430]
§ Mr. IngramMilitary strengths are recorded on the first of each month and it is therefore not possible to provide an accurate figure for the dates requested. On 1 October 1999 there were 14,552 soldiers in the province and on 1 January 2000 there were 14,319 soldiers in the Province. These are the nearest available dates to those requested.
The figures quoted are for troops available for duty including part-time Royal Irish soldiers. It is not possible to establish the numbers who were actually on duty on these dates.