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Territorial Army Rebalancing

I welcome the statement and especially the announcement on the new Royal Engineer regiment that will be based in Gateshead in the north-east. Members of the Armed Forces Bill Committee who were in Basra two weeks ago were impressed by the professionalism, dedication and enthusiasm of the TA soldiers whom we met. I have met TA soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan who were working closely with CIMIC—civil-military co-operation—teams that were doing vital reconstruction work. Has any thought been given to how the array of talents, experience and skills of TA soldiers can be brought to the vital role of reconstruction in Afghanistan and other parts of the world?