Royal Tournament (Hansard, 11 May 2004)

§ Mr. Ingram

There are no plans to reintroduce the Royal Tournament, the ending of which was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 25 October 1999,Official Report, columns 696–97W. Nor have we any plans to support a private venture of a similar nature.

The Department has, however, continued to mount major set-piece events to demonstrate the capability of the armed forces. Under the umbrella of 'Defence 2000', the armed forces have helped stage the Royal Military Tattoo in 2000, the International Festival of the Sea in 2001, and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Celebrations in Portsmouth in 2002. The department has also continued to participate in a wide variety of smaller events such as open days, ships visits, county shows and showcase events such as the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Fairford Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT). We have also increased our presence in local communities and schools with the Service and Ministry of Defence Presentation Teams.

The recent high level of operational commitments and the associated demands they have placed on Service personnel and their families, have caused us to review our continued involvement in events that could be regarded as discretionary. The large set-piece events of 'Defence 2000' have proved to be particularly demanding. Following our decision not to proceed with the planned events for 2003 and 2004, we have taken the opportunity to review our future strategy. As a result, we have now concluded that we will gain the greatest benefit by focusing our resources on supporting the well 224W established single-service events such as RIAT, specific commemorations such as the 200^th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, and by making better use of our contribution to the many smaller events that take place across the length and breadth of the UK. These events, which tend not to be as manpower intensive, have proved to be excellent vehicles for cementing the relationship between the armed forces and local communities, and have done much to raise the overall profile of the Services.

By building on these events, I am fully confident that the current high profile of the armed forces will be maintained. We have therefore decided not to continue with the Defence 2000 Series.