Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Boyce (Crossbench). It was answered on Wednesday, 14 October 2009.

Armed Forces: Parachuting

Question: My Lords, will the noble Baroness comment on the effect on ethos of the lack of training such as has been perpetrated by this withdrawal? In extension, what might the ethos of the Territorial Army be in light of the reduction of training that it is about to suffer?

Answer: My Lords, it is clear that those who are in parachute regiments want to be able to exercise their skills. That is something that we all understand. As far as I understand it, morale is good and I have checked that with those who are in charge of the particular division. They would like more facilities and would appreciate more opportunities to jump, but they all acknowledge—as we should all acknowledge—that when aircraft are needed for operations, that is where they should be. That is important.

Secondary information