§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers there were in Northern Ireland, excluding those troops under the command of the GOC NI that were based in Great Britain, at 31 December in each of the last five years. [37689]
§ Mr. IngramThe number of armed forces personnel (Army, Navy and RAF), under the command of the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland (GOC NI), stationed in Northern Ireland for the last five years are set out in the table:
As at 31 December Number of armed force personnel 1997 16,082 1998 14,983 1999 14,319 2000 13,763 2001 13,595 As already explained on 6 February 2002, Official Report, column 995W, the GOC NI also has under his command troops that are rear based in Great Britain that can be called forward to the Province as and when required. In addition other troops can be made available to the GOC NI from Land Command if required, for example during the marching season.