§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regular armed forces are committed to home defence; if numbers are to be increased; and if he will make a statement. [84842]
§ Mr. IngramThe armed forces have a long-standing mission to help ensure the protection and security of the United Kingdom, providing military aid to the civil authorities as required.
812WThe Home Office has responsibility for counter terrorism policy and the lead on domestic security lies with the civil agencies, particularly the police. There are no service personnel purely dedicated to home defence although United Kingdom based force elements can be deployed at short notice to provide assistance to the civil authorities. In addition, the RAF is responsible for the defence of our airspace and the Royal Navy has a role in ensuring the integrity of our territorial waters.
The Strategic Defence Review New Chapter considered enhancements to those force elements that could contribute to the capability of the armed forces to meet requests from the civil authorities for home defence and security purposes. It concluded that 14 new civil contingency reaction forces should be established from existing volunteer reserve personnel, and some 700 new volunteer reserve posts established to provide improved command, control and planning capabilities. Action on this is in hand.