John Baron MP: House of Commons debate on Army Reforms tomorrow

MP says Government should stop cutting regular troops until reservist plan proven

John Baron MP and colleagues will hold a Back Bench Business debate on the Government’s Army reforms tomorrow, 17^th October. The motion is in the ‘notes to editors’. This will give Parliament the opportunity to scrutinise Government plans, and vote accordingly if necessary.

John said,

“Government plans to replace 20,000 regular troops with 30,000 reservists are on the rocks. TA numbers are at a low ebb, new reserve recruitment targets for this year and next will be missed, and costs are increasing. The time has come to reassess, so taxpayers’ money is not wasted.”

“There is no doubt that reservists are cheaper than regular troops, but rising costs bring into question the extent of anticipated cost savings, and raise the prospect of false economies. This is before we start talking about capability gaps. Yet, the Government continues to ignore requests in Parliament for a fully-costed plan.”

“We should stop the axing of the regular battalions, until we know the reservist plan will work, and at what cost. We also need to question whether the proposals will create unacceptable manpower and capability gaps. Tomorrow’s debate will give the House of Commons the opportunity to raise these issues.”

Notes to Editors:

• The debate could begin around 11.30, subject to Parliamentary business.
• The motion is as follows: That this House notes concerns about the Government’s defence reforms in relation to whether its proposals for the Reserve Forces will deliver either the anticipated cost savings or defence capability; and urges the Government to delay the disbandment of regular units until it is established the Army Reserve plan is viable and cost-effective.