MP says detailed costings need to be published
Today, during Defence Questions in the House of Commons, John Baron MP pressed the Secretary of State for Defence, Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, as to the validity of plans to replace 20,000 Regular troops – including The 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers – with 30,000 reservists. The only calculations available to the public are within the 2011 Independent Commission to Review the United Kingdom’s Reserve Forces. The FR20 Green Paper outlined Government plans to change the Armed Forces.
John also continues to question the wisdom of scrapping Regular battalions before being certain that the Reservists can plug the gap.
John asked,
“The 2011 Independent Commission acknowledged the increased cost of training TA units over their Regular brethren. Given the Green Paper makes clear TA units will be more frequently used, will the Government justify its claim that replacing Regular troops with Reservists is cost-effective?”
The Secretary of State confirmed the TA would cost more when mobilised, but that, in total, there would be a cost saving.
John said afterwards,
“There is a real risk here of a Government shambles. Given that the declared deployable capacity of TA units sits at around 25%, the over-reliance on these units could well be a false economy. The Government is coy about the cost of training these Reservists to Regular standards, whilst estimated costs do not include payments to individuals for lost income. Regulars could well be cheaper in the long run.”
“Furthermore, there is a real credibility gap regarding Government plans. It is very unwise scrapping Regular battalions – including from my old Regiment – before being absolutely sure that Reservists can plug the gap.”
Ends
Word Count: 288
Date: 25th February 2013
Notes to Editors:
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