John Baron MP questions ‘false economy’ of Government’s reservist plans

MP also expresses concern about defence cuts

Today in the House of Commons, during Defence Questions, John Baron MP suggested that the Government risks creating false economies over its plan to use 30,000 reservists as a means of plugging the gap created by the loss of 20,000 regular troops. Recent statistics suggest the TA has been losing 1,000 troops a year, whilst force generation figures show that, on average, around only one in four reservists are capable of active deployment. The Government is highlighting the expressions of interest shown by employers in their plans to recruit reservists.

In the House of Commons, John asked,

“Expressions of support and boots on the ground are two different things. Given widespread concern about defence cuts and force generation factors, how confident is the Minister that Government plans to plug the gap left by the loss of 20,000 regular troops will not turn out to be a false economy?”

The Minister, Rt Hon Mark Francois MP, said in response that the Government is confident that it can meet its plan.

John said afterwards,

“The Government maintains the recruitment of reservists will save money, following the loss of 20,000 regulars. However, the Government has yet to publish any figures to confirm their analysis. I urge the MOD to publish these figures soon – we need greater clarity.”

“These troop reductions are part of defence cuts which may leave our country dangerously exposed in today’s unpredictable world. We must be very careful not to cut back too far.”

Ends

Word Count: 263

Date: 15^th April 2013