Written question asked by Jon Trickett (Labour) on Monday, 28 October 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 30 October 2019. It was answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative) on Monday, 4 November 2019 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers: Swindon

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps have moved to the former Clares factory in Swindon.

Answer: The property in question was temporarily used by troops from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers as part of Exercise Iron Viper 2019 which ran from 23 September to 3 October. The exercise was a routine test of the Army's logistical and technical support capabilities which also involved units from the Royal Engineers, Royal Corps of Signals, Royal Logistic Corps and Royal Army Medical Corps. To achieve realism, the exercise utilised both the Defence estate and private land, including a number of sites in urban areas.

Secondary information