ANNEX
DEFENCE COMMITTEE REPORT ON
TERRITORIAL ARMY RESTRUCTURING
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
1. This memorandum sets out the Government's
response to the Defence Committee's report on the reforms of the
Territorial Army (TA) first published in outline in the Strategic
Defence Review and then set out in detail in the announcement
by the Secretary of State for Defence to the House on 17 November
1998.
THE
CONSULTATION
PROCESS
2. The Government regards as misplaced the Committee's
criticism of the consultation process leading to the November
announcement as falling short of the high standards set generally
in the Strategic Defence Review. Publication of the Strategic
Defence Review was followed by a period of over three months during
which detailed proposals for the reform of the TA were circulated
widely for comment on 21 July, revised and then circulated again
on 23 September for discussion during a week-long series of consultation
meetings, with full TA involvement, before final proposals were
made. Those consulted included TA headquarters, the directors
of each Arm and Service represented in the TA, the divisional
and brigade commanders who command both regulars and volunteers
in their areas, the TAVRAs, and Reserve forces directorates in
the MOD. Their advice was sought on the optimum organisation and
distribution of the TA within the policy announced in the Strategic
Defence Review, and was instrumental in bringing about substantial
changes to the initial proposals. The Government considers that
this consultation was open and genuine, and fully in keeping with
the spirit of the Strategic Defence Review.
3. One consequence of the openness of this consultation
was that it gave rise to extensive rumours and speculation on
the outcome. It was to avoid damaging consequences for the morale
of the units and individuals and properly to protect the confidentiality
of the policy-making process that the Commander in Chief Land
Command reminded Regular and TA personnel alike, of the relevant
provisions of Queen's Regulations. The Government believes this
to have been perfectly correct and that it in no way restricted
the rights of individuals in relation to their MPs.
INFANTRY
BATTALIONS
4. The Government notes the Committee's concern
that the right balance may not have been struck between the geographical
spread of infantry battalions in the new structure, and their
ability to train to fulfil the roles required of them. The reforms
have sought to maintain a geographical spread of the TA as a whole,
including combat arms such as the infantry, but also supporting
Arms and Services; and the Committee has welcomed this in principle.
Military cohesion and effectiveness will be maintained among the
15 new infantry battalions by ensuring that infantry volunteers
are able to train at company level, as befits the roles that they
are most likely to carry out in support of Regular forces, but
within the framework of the battalions. The 15 battalions, most
of which will have four or five companies, will have their own
integral support weapons in the form of manoeuvre support platoons,
unlike the existing practice where all such weapons are held in
four support battalions. This will give greater access to a wider
range of volunteers to serve in the manoeuvre support role. The
structure of TA infantry companies themselves, which will be over
100 strong and over 150 strong in some cases, will enable training
to be carried out as effectively or better than at present, for
volunteers both in rifle platoons and in the new manoeuvre support
platoons. It is doubtful that an increase in establishment would
increase the effectiveness of training, but the Government will
monitor this aspect and is determined to ensure that infantry
companies are recruited to a level that will permit effective
training to be carried out.
5. The Committee expressed the view that proportionately
larger numbers of Permanent Staff Instructors (PSIs) would be
required in the reformed TA. The role of PSIs is to supervise
training of volunteers by the TA chain of command (that is, to
train the trainers) and to ensure that standards are set and maintained.
The conduct of training itself is the responsibility of Commanding
Officers and their subordinate officers and NCOs who receive guidance
from PSIs. The standards of training achieved will therefore be
a product not only of the numbers of PSI but also of the TA command
structure itself and the many other Permanent Staff who provide
support to the unit. New establishments have now been promulgated
that will increase, proportionately, this support to the volunteers;
and will ensure that sufficient numbers of PSI are available to
units, reflecting their roles, readiness requirements placed on
them and their geographic spread. Where it appears that training
standards are not being achieved as a result of a lack of training
support, this can be corrected.
SPONSORED
RESERVES
6. The Committee made a number of further observations
on the Sponsored Reserves concept which does not form part of
the announced reform of the TA, although Sponsored Reservists
will be subject to many of the terms and conditions of service
that are applicable to the TA. The Government welcomes the Committee's
approval of the Sponsored Reserve Regulations pamphlet, and notes
that the Committee will nevertheless wish to see the concept work
in practice before drawing conclusions on its benefits. The Government
would stress however that the potential employment of Sponsored
Reserves is still a developing concept; one which is being explored
through a number of initiatives in all three Services. Each of
these is receiving advisory and support services from the Directorate
of Reserve Forces and Cadets, which encompasses the National Employers'
Liaison Committee Secretariat - the conduit for the liaison sought
by the Committee.
7. The Government agrees that Sponsored Reservists
should not be expected to serve as frontline combat infantrymen;
the provision in the Regulations is designed to ensure that they
are able to serve in an operational environment, which will place
demands on them for which a degree of training in military skills
is necessary to enable them safely to exercise their expertise.
As with all our serving personnel, Regular or Reserve, the military
training given to Sponsored Reservists will be appropriate and
relevant to the task they are to perform.
ARMY
MEDICAL
SERVICES
8. The Government shares the Committee's concern
about the challenge involved in expanding the volunteer medical
services. Within the initiative announced in December to strengthen
the Defence Medical Service as a whole, the Government intends
to bring existing volunteer units up to strength and create new
detachments whose locations will be strongly influenced by medical
recruiting factors. We are also considering introducing even more
flexible modes of employing volunteer medical staff, through both
TA and combined Regular/TA composite units, to minimise disruption
to local medical services of deployment of TA AMS. Requirements
for medical specialisms within the expanded TA medical services
are being refined and a recruitment campaign specifically for
the TA medical service will be launched in the Autumn. Changes
within the Surgeon General's Department include the provision
of a stronger focus on Reserve matters, allied with enhancements
to existing liaison arrangements between the MOD and the Department
of Health/NHS to ensure that these and other issues of common
interest are dealt with effectively. At the same time the National
Employers' Liaison Committee is coordinating closer links with
Health Industry representatives.
SALE
OF
TA
CENTRES
9. The Committee urged that TAVRA advice on the
disposal of properties be acted upon where valid, even where this
might involve reconsidering individual sites earmarked for sale.
TAVRA advice on individual cases formed a major element in decisions
on the detailed location of units announced on 17 November. These
decisions have had to take into account a wide range of factors
of which the expectation of a disposal receipt was one. The Committee
has been advised of the assumptions underlying the choice of location
for TA units. The Government undertook to review cases where it
appeared that a decision was made on the basis of incorrect, or
incomplete, information; but subsequent review has indicated that
in virtually all but a few cases the information was robust. The
changes to these few cases was announced recently.
CADET
CENTRES
10. The Government can accept the spirit of the
Committee's recommendation that any unused element of the £12
million, earmarked for reproviding facilities for cadets displaced
by the closure of TA Centres, should be invested in upgrading
and refurbishing existing accommodation for the cadets. However,
separate provision is made for these purposes which is part of
the annual allocation of resources to TAVRAs for their support
to the cadets. The Government's commitment is to spend up to £12 million
on the reprovision of facilities for cadet units affected by the
TA restructuring; in addition, £3 million will be spent over
a period of four years on additional resources for all cadet organisations,
including the Army Cadet Force.
REORGANISATION
OF
THE
TERRITORIAL
AUXILIARY
VOLUNTEER
RESERVE
ASSOCIATIONS
11. The future organisation of the TAVRAs has
been considered by a joint (MOD/TAVRA) working group; as a result
MOD Ministers have accepted joint recommendations by the Commander
in Chief Land Command and the Chairman of the Council of TAVRAs
for a future organisation that will align TAVRA boundaries with
those of Government offices for the regions in England, which
match those of the Regional Development Agencies. This arrangement
will introduce greater stability in the organisation of TAVRAs
while at the same time improving links with the Army's chain of
command at regional level. TAVRAs in Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland will be unaffected in this reorganisation which will reduce
overall numbers of TAVRAs from 14 to 13 through the amalgamation
of the South East and Eastern Wessex Associations.
12. TAVRA Funding. Budgetary arrangements
for the TAVRAs will reflect the new structure and relationships.
Each TAVRA will have a budget, channelled through its linked regional
Division to achieve agreed tasks, and will be responsible for
management of its budget accordingly. Any changes will be negotiated
between the TAVRA and the Division, and there will be full visibility
at all stages. Current arrangements for the separate resourcing
of tasks laid upon the TAVRAs by the RN and RAF will continue
unchanged.
13. The Government welcomes the Committee's acknowledgement
that there is a case for the MOD to recoup income accrued by the
TAVRAs from investment of funds allocated to them. The Committee
recommends, however, that the budgeting system for TAVRAs allows
them to retain for their own use a proportion of efficiency savings
made on their annual budget and of accruals from other income
generating activities. Some TAVRAs may have sources of income
that do not derive from facilities funded by the MOD and, in such
cases, it will be for the TAVRAs to determine how this income
is spent in support of their objectives. But the budgetary arrangements
will continue to take account of anticipated income from the use
of facilities funded from the public purse, in accordance with
normal accounting procedures.
REPORTING
ARRANGEMENTS
14. The Government agrees the compromise position
proposed by the Committee whereby quarterly reports will be supplied
on:
(i) the strength of the TA; and strength
of cadets;
(ii) turnover/wastage levels for the TA;
(iii) numbers of Regular and Non-Regular Permanent
Staff, including Permanent Staff Instructors (separately identified);
(iv) numbers of unit level command posts held
by Regulars
and annual reports on
(v) numbers of days trained at formed unit or
higher (ie company and battalion) level;
(vi) numbers of TA volunteers assessed to be
fit for role.
Since the end of the training year falls in March,
and because it is then only that comprehensive annual returns
on fitness for role are available, it is suggested this would
be a better time to make available items (v) and (vi). The first
quarterly report will be forwarded soon.
Ministry of Defence
21 April 1999
