HC Deb 12 November 2003 vol 413 cc325-6W
Mr. Keetch

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists have signed up for the Civil Contingency Reaction Forces; what percentage of the(a) operational requirement and (b) Government target this represents; and if he will make a statement.[137673]

Mr. Ingram

The percentage deficit of Full Time Trained personnel against the Trained Requirement for each Service at 1 September 2003 are as follows:

Service Deficit (percentage)
All services 3.0
Naval services 2.8
Army 3.6
Royal Air Force 1.9

These figures include trained United Kingdom Regular Forces, Full Time Reserve Service personnel and trained Gurkhas. They exclude trained personnel in the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service, full and part time), Gibraltar Permanent Cadre and mobilised reservists.

Bob Russell

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vacancies there are for each of the armed forces; and how many there were on the corresponding date for each of the last six years for which figures are available. [137488]

Mr. Ingram:

The information is in the table:

Mr. Ingram

To date, some 5,000 volunteers have signed up to serve in a Civil Contingency Reaction Force (CCRF). This figure represents around 70 per cent. of the Government's target. CCRFs remain on target to achieve operational capability by the end of this year.