Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Julian Brazier (Conservative). It was answered on Monday, 21 July 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Reserve Forces

Question: I join the hon. Member for Crawley (Laura Moffatt) both in thanking the Under-Secretary for attending our launch this morning and in congratulating the MOD reserves team on the way in which they are conducting the study. May I put it to Ministers that when it comes to making decisions they need to bear two things in mind? First, the volunteer reserves are working desperately hard and their numbers, too, are very much under pressure from overstretch. Secondly, our English-speaking cousins—America, Canada and Australia—all prove more imaginative than us in the number of ways they find to make good use of reservists, of whom helicopter crews are just one example.

Answer: I do not disagree with the hon. Gentleman that we have to look all the time at how to improve the contribution that the reserves can make and that we have to be imaginative about exploring the possibilities. However, we must always be aware that those people are volunteers, so we have to balance that with the offer we actually make those individuals if it is to be sustainable over time. I am convinced—as I know is the hon. Gentleman—that we can get far more from our reserves than we do at present and that we may be able to offer them better opportunities and training and a more enjoyable experience.

Secondary information