 |
The Rt Hon Malcolm Bruce MPLiberal Democrat MP for Gordon |
 |
Bruce raises concerns over TA cuts with MOD
October 26, 2009 12:00 AM
Bruce has raised his concerns with the Ministry of Defence over possible TA budget cuts
Malcolm Bruce MP for Gordon has raised his concerns with the Secretary of State for Defence over the Government's Territorial Army training cuts over the next six months.
Following today's Government statement and ahead of a fuller debate in the House of Commons later this week, the MP whose constituency shares its name with the nearby Gordon barracks has called on the Secretary of State for Defence Bob Ainsworth to reconsider the cuts which come at a time when the regular army and reserves are both still heavily engaged in the Afghanistan conflict.
Mr Bruce said:
"Several of my constituents who are serving Territorial Army soldiers have raised concerns regarding the decision by the Government to halt Territorial Army training for the next six months.
"The defence minister has now announced that the MOD is restoring night drills for TA soldiers but this is not enough. Either the exercises are necessary for the TA to do their job, or they are not.
"It is estimated that the partial climb-down announced today will only save a further £2.5million from over £20million cuts to the budget. Taken in the context of a
MOD black hole of £35billion this is a ridiculously small figure to claw back at a time when the army is already overstretched in Afghanistan."
The MP added:
"I worry that this will have an impact on the morale of soldiers who could see themselves as undervalued and surplus to the needs of the nation, despite the fact that they provide 5-10% of personnel currently deployed on operations. There could be a serious impact on the retention of TA soldiers.
"It is also the case that many reservists rely on the TA as a necessary form of income. Whereas in the past they might have been able to find part-time work, this is not the case in the current economic downturn.
"The TA continues to provide an invaluable service on the front line in Afghanistan as well as with the logistics side of the war. Experience shows that a short-term freeze on training will undoubtedly have an impact on longer-term planning for mobilisation."
ENDS
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats
-
Help out or donate
-
Tell us what you think