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British Infantry
8. Mr. Tim Boswell (Daventry) (Con): What assessment he has made of the adequacy and availability of British infantry to respond to additional urgent deployments. [163780]
The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon): A number of British infantry units are routinely held in reserve, at very high readiness to deploy. That ensures that the Army always has prepared troops available to respond to additional urgent deployments. The effectiveness of those arrangements was demonstrated by our rapid response to the recent troubles in Kosovo. The spearhead land element was deployed to theatre there in less than 24 hours and undertook its first patrol the very next day.
Mr. Boswell : While I agree with the Secretary of State that it was very welcome that the spearhead battalion was able to get to Kosovo so quickly and to be so effective, does he not agree that serious issues could arise in the slightly longer term in relation to the relief and rotation of forces, to resupply and, ultimately, to the ability to retain forces in the service under their present working conditions? Is not the reality that the thin red line of the British infantry has been stretched for a considerable time, and has in effect been running itself on red?
Mr. Hoon: Of course, I answered that question a few moments ago, but let me explain to the hon. Gentleman that this deployment of operational reserves is likely to be in theatre only for a matter of weeks, as I said to the House last week. Therefore none of the resupply or replacement issues that he mentioned will arise in this case.
Bob Russell (Colchester) (LD): The Secretary of State referred to the increasing number of commitments that the armed forces face around the world. Does he agree that retention is of major importance, that the strength of the Army is still below what it should be, and that the Government should therefore be considering ways of increasing the number of soldiers? As his colleague, the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, the hon. Member for Hove (Mr. Caplin), will know, one way of doing that would be to reinstate the 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, which would go a long way towards redressing the shortfall.
Mr. Hoon: I certainly admire the hon. Gentleman's persistence. I seem to recall that he asked precisely the same question at the previous Defence questions. He is right to emphasise the importance of retention and recruitment, and I am pleased to be able to tell the House that we have seen a creditable improvement in performance in both those areas over the last year. With the hon. Gentleman's help and encouragement, that will no doubt continue.
Mr. Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath) (Con): The Secretary of State will be aware that I have a very military constituency. Indeed, his junior Minister, the Under-Secretary, visited Army cadets there last Thursday. Does the Secretary of State recognise the great concern among the many service families in my constituency that those deployed to Iraq did not have the appropriate kit? Indeed, I am getting many letters from those families. Can he reassure them that in any future deployments of infantry, the kit will be there at the same time as the men?
Mr. Hoon: The kit was in theatre, as I am sure the hon. Gentleman will know, as he will have read the National Audit Office report on the subject. I am sure that, when he responds to constituents expressing their understandable concerns, he will put those concerns into context, because it is clear from a series of reports on the deployment that, overall, this was an outstanding success, including—as the NAO noted—an outstanding logistical success. There were, however, deficiencies that must be addressed, and I assure the hon. Gentleman and the House that they will be.
Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex) (Con): In respect of the Secretary of State's earlier answer, the spearhead battalion is held specifically for the kind of task in Kosovo that he described. Will he accept the view that the Chief of the Defence Staff made quite plain last week to the Defence Committee that the overstretch currently being experienced by the armed forces as they undertake their extremely onerous task is such that, in these dangerous times, we would not be able to mount a similar operation to Telic until approaching the end of the decade?
Mr. Hoon: To be fair, as the hon. Gentleman usually is, the CDS went on to say that it would be possible to mount such an operation if we were to redeploy forces from other obligations and operations. That has always been the case, and it remains so.
Mr. Soames: But given the scale and size of the obligations, do not the observations of the CDS reveal
in the starkest terms the folly of cutting the trained strength of the armed forces from 194,600 to 182,800? That is a cut of 12,000 over seven years, the equivalent of nearly 15 infantry battalions.
Mr. Hoon: I will not embarrass the hon. Gentleman by telling him the number of cuts made in the trained strength when he was the armed forces Minister, but the margin was rather larger than the one he has just set out. I know that that is embarrassingly inconvenient for him, but the answer he gave when he was asked about that issue remains valid today, which is that assessments are made on a military basis of the requirement for forces in the light of the overall capabilities and equipment available to our armed forces at the time. That is the answer he gave, and I am delighted to repeat it.
Mr. Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley) (Lab): Has my right hon. Friend considered forming a Commonwealth regiment to ease the pressure? Is not that, or increasing the number of Gurkhas, a way forward on returning to the strengths of previous years?
Mr. Hoon: As my hon. Friend will be aware, there is already significant recruitment from the Commonwealth. We have given this matter some consideration, but I am not necessarily sure that it is appropriate to try to replicate the arrangements under which Gurkhas are recruited to Britain's armed forces. I am content that elements from the Commonwealth join a variety of regiments and add their particular contribution in a number of different ways. That seems to me to be the best way forward.
Mr. Julian Brazier (Canterbury) (Con): Does the Secretary of State accept that for our armed forces to maintain their cutting edge, those in the infantry, like those in other parts of the services, must have two things: a lifestyle that their families can put up with in the long run and regular, high-intensity exercises? What is the tour interval for infantry battalions and what major exercises are planned to keep those excellent skills well honed over the next year?
Mr. Hoon: I cannot give the hon. Gentleman that list today, but I can write to him with all those details. I am sure he is aware from his excellent contacts in the armed forces that proper leave was provided—for example, after the deployment to Iraq. That continues to be the case. Obviously, it is important that we maintain a proper balance between leave entitlement and regular high-intensity exercises as well as deployment on operations of the kind that have been so successful in Iraq. That balance must be continued if we are to retain the right people in our armed forces.
D-day Anniversary
9. Shona McIsaac (Cleethorpes) (Lab): If he will make a statement on recent progress with plans to celebrate the 60th anniversary of D-day. [163781]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Ivor Caplin): I am confident that the organisation we have in place will ensure that the events in Normandy are properly organised, carefully planned and appropriate for the occasion.
At the last Defence Question Time on 1 March, my hon. Friend asked about “Heroes Return”. That was followed up by a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Andrew Mackinlay), whom I see in his place, on Irish citizens who served in the British armed forces during the second world war. I took the issues raised very seriously and undertook to investigate. Consequently, I am pleased to inform the House that in recognition of the unique circumstances that set Ireland apart from other countries, the Ministry of Defence and the national lottery's New Opportunities Fund have put in place special arrangements with the Royal British Legion to allow Irish veterans who volunteered for service in the British armed forces and are now resident in the Republic of Ireland to be included in “Heroes Return”. I am sure that the whole House welcomes that outcome.
Shona McIsaac : I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for that news. I know that many families will appreciate being able to travel back for the celebrations.
Will my hon. Friend take a little time to read the excellent coverage of “Heroes Return” and the D-day celebrations in the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph? I have the cuttings here for him if he wants to read them. The paper has been following former seaman Arnie Marshall in getting his money and the journey he will make back to Normandy. Will he wish Mr. Marshall well and praise the local newspapers that have been giving the initiative such excellent coverage?
Mr. Caplin: I certainly hope that Mr. Marshall enjoys his return to Normandy, which I am sure will bring back good memories for him. I am pleased to hear about the coverage of the D-day events and “Heroes Return” in the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, which, I have to say, has not been high on my reading list recently. However, I detect that my hon. Friend will ensure that I read it in future.
Sir Sydney Chapman (Chipping Barnet) (Con): The Minister will know that an estimated 10,000 British Normandy veterans survive 60 years after the event. When I secured an Adjournment debate on 25 February, it was estimated that about 3,000 of those had already made plans to visit Normandy in June. Since then, how many more have applied or expressed an interest in visiting the Normandy beaches? Will the Minister assure the House that they will have been given full information about the one-year passports available and how to claim, for part of their expenses at least, on the New Opportunities Fund?
Mr. Caplin: I can reassure the hon. Gentleman on the last two points. At the last Defence questions, I also gave the freephone number for the Veterans Agency, which will handle calls and deal with any issues that veterans have. We think that the number travelling to Normandy that weekend will be between 5,000 and 10,000. That figure is likely to include carers and members of the families who will be accompanying veterans.
Mr. Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port and Neston) (Lab): My hon. Friend will know that my constituency was slightly ahead of the game on the heritage lottery
fund, led by the sterling work of Ernie Innes, who sadly died recently. Will he place on record his condolences and thanks for the sterling work done by people such as Ernie, who give up so much of their time as volunteers, and set out what a strong example he was for many young people in constituencies such as mine, up and down the country?
Mr. Caplin: I had the privilege of visiting Chester earlier in the year, and I know of the work of the Chester and Wirral branch of the Normandy Veterans Association, which Mr. Innes founded. I pay tribute to his work and send the whole House's condolences to Mrs. Innes and her family at this difficult time. Certainly, “Heroes Return” is about bringing veterans and young people together to preserve the history of what happened in 1944 and 1945 and to pass on the baton of remembrance to future generations.
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock) (Lab): I thank the Minister for his announcement in relation to the Irish veterans. In relation to what he has done today, I would use the words of Tim Healy, a famous former Member of the House, who said:
- “so long as water runs and grass is green Irishmen will always be grateful”.
Mr. Caplin: I thank my hon. Friend for his sterling efforts on this matter. He raised the issue on 1 March, and he has constantly badgered me and other Ministers to make sure that we came to some conclusion. I am glad that he is pleased with the eventual outcome.
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