Territorial Army
Philip Dunne asks the Secretary of State for Defence where in the Government's strategic review of Britain's reserve forces did it recommend a 30 per cent cut in the TA's budget.
Mr. Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con): What plans he has for the future of the Territorial Army. [296682]
The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Bob Ainsworth): The overall strategic direction of the reserve forces was set by the strategic review of the reserves, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House on 28 April 2009. This overall direction, and the Government's commitment to the reserve forces, including the TA, remains unchanged.
Mr. Dunne: As the Secretary of State has just confirmed, the Government's strategic review of Britain's reserve forces was published barely six months ago. What part of it recommended cutting 30 per cent. of the TA's budget?
Mr. Ainsworth: I cannot recall to what degree the hon. Gentleman engaged with the discussions that we had at the time that we published that review, but it was a strategic review that laid a framework for the future of our reserved forces. It acknowledged the funding issues that would have to be dealt with separately. Just because there were and are resource constraints, it does not mean that we should stop people doing the necessary thinking that needs to take place about the strategic direction of the reserve. Yes, some of the implementation will have to wait until resources are available and will have to stand in line for resources, along with the Department's other priorities.
