§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel have been employed in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [115072]
§ Dr. MoonieThe number of Armed Forces personnel (Army, Navy and RAF), under the command of the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland (GOC NI), deployed in Northern Ireland for the last five years is set out in the table below:
As at April Number of Armed Forces Personnel 1999 14,850 2000 13,852 2001 13,856 2002 13,288 2003 13,188 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.