§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the function of the Territorial Army following the present military conflict in the Gulf; what assessment he has made of the future needs and role for the Territorial Army; what assessment he has made of the future role for the Territorial Army unit in Chorley; and what assessment he has made of the future role of the Territorial Army barracks in Chorley. [116396]
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§ Dr. MoonieAs recently announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 22 May 2003,Official Report, column 45–46WS, there is a continuing role for Reservists, including the Territorial Army (TA) in the Gulf and a requirement for a further 1,500 Reservists to support ongoing operations has now been confirmed. The TA will continue to support their regular counterparts on operations as envisaged by the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) and SDR New Chapter.
No assessment has been made of the future role of the TA units in Chorley or the barracks itself. In accordance with SDR recommendations, however, a review of all TA sub-unit and detachment locations across the whole country is underway. It is too early to comment on the outcome of this review.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of(a) Territorial Army and (b) regular army personnel were sent to serve in Iraq. [116668]
§ Dr. MoonieApproximately 24,000 Army personnel and 3,800 Territorial Army (TA) personnel were initially deployed in support of Operation TELIC in the Gulf. These figures represent approximately 24 per cent. and 10 per cent. of total trained Army and TA personnel respectively.