My hon. Friend is making a very powerful point. Would he like to endorse remarks made by an individual from the King's centre, which is working on military mental health? It said that when the Territorials go as part of a formed unit with their own mates and their own...

My hon. Friend is making a very powerful point. Would he like to endorse remarks made by an individual from the King's centre, which is working on military mental health? It said that when the Territorials go as part of a formed unit with their own mates and their own...

I am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman for allowing me to interrupt his really excellent speech. As a point of detail, the Government got one thing right by having a focus for reservist advice in the centre, but does he agree that it is extraordinary that the director general...

I am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman for allowing me to interrupt his really excellent speech. As a point of detail, the Government got one thing right by having a focus for reservist advice in the centre, but does he agree that it is extraordinary that the director general...

I am listening to my hon. Friend's excellent speech. On a longer-term issue, his vital point about formed units appears, to put it mildly, pretty thin in the Cottam review. Although there is much in the review, about properly-resourced individual training and so on, that we as a party welcome,...

I am listening to my hon. Friend's excellent speech. On a longer-term issue, his vital point about formed units appears, to put it mildly, pretty thin in the Cottam review. Although there is much in the review, about properly-resourced individual training and so on, that we as a party welcome,...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Will my hon. Friend give way?

That is not the view taken by the vast majority of TA officers. In practice, it means that lance corporals and privates get creamed off, and most places that are available to officers do not involve command and are of a fairly lowly nature.

That is not the view taken by the vast majority of TA officers. In practice, it means that lance corporals and privates get creamed off, and most places that are available to officers do not involve command and are of a fairly lowly nature.

May I endorse the point that the Minister has been extremely generous in giving his time to the all-party group? We all welcome the frank exchanges there.

May I endorse the point that the Minister has been extremely generous in giving his time to the all-party group? We all welcome the frank exchanges there.

I am most grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way. As chairman of the all-party reserve forces group, may I say, on behalf of the group's members in all parts of the House, that we are delighted that the correct decision has now been taken? I know that...

I am most grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way. As chairman of the all-party reserve forces group, may I say, on behalf of the group's members in all parts of the House, that we are delighted that the correct decision has now been taken? I know that...

We are looking forward to seeing the Minister at 5 o'clock. May I urge him to ask the Chief of the General Staff, in his next conversation with him, whether he is aware of the sacrifices that the families of Territorials make, and whether he would consider imposing such a...

We are looking forward to seeing the Minister at 5 o'clock. May I urge him to ask the Chief of the General Staff, in his next conversation with him, whether he is aware of the sacrifices that the families of Territorials make, and whether he would consider imposing such a...

I cannot pay my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Mr. Benyon) enough of a tribute for the remarkable speech that he has just made.

I cannot pay my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Mr. Benyon) enough of a tribute for the remarkable speech that he has just made.

The Secretary of State has been generous in giving way, and he has taken a long-term interest in reserves, for which I am particularly grateful. However, I really do urge him to bear in mind that, however professional our regular forces are, they have a very long history of not...

The Secretary of State has been generous in giving way, and he has taken a long-term interest in reserves, for which I am particularly grateful. However, I really do urge him to bear in mind that, however professional our regular forces are, they have a very long history of not...

So why do we not use more reserve aircrews, particularly for helicopters, as the Americans do? The fact that we currently have one reservist Apache pilot—oddly enough, a Royal Naval Reserve officer—out in Helmand shows that reservists can meet a range of such requirements, and plenty of people who work...

So why do we not use more reserve aircrews, particularly for helicopters, as the Americans do? The fact that we currently have one reservist Apache pilot—oddly enough, a Royal Naval Reserve officer—out in Helmand shows that reservists can meet a range of such requirements, and plenty of people who work...

He is a regular.

He is a regular.

The hon. Gentleman's strong point is made even more powerful when one reflects on the fact that Afghanistan is a tribal society. The danger is that, in seeking to expand so quickly, there will be parallels with Northern Ireland, for example, with disproportionate numbers of recruits coming from the north...

The hon. Gentleman's strong point is made even more powerful when one reflects on the fact that Afghanistan is a tribal society. The danger is that, in seeking to expand so quickly, there will be parallels with Northern Ireland, for example, with disproportionate numbers of recruits coming from the north...

In fact, we have had several outstanding speeches, including the one by my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames). The bulk of the debate has focused, rightly, on Afghanistan, and I want to put on record how incredibly proud the men and women of Canterbury are of the...

In fact, we have had several outstanding speeches, including the one by my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames). The bulk of the debate has focused, rightly, on Afghanistan, and I want to put on record how incredibly proud the men and women of Canterbury are of the...

This is, of course, one of the reasons why we need more citizen forces. Civilian technology is always well ahead of military technology.

This is, of course, one of the reasons why we need more citizen forces. Civilian technology is always well ahead of military technology.

May I thank the Minister for all the review's courteous exchanges with my all-party group on reserve forces? The review brings good news in the form of innovative ideas for training, especially basic training, but that is balanced with extremely bad news about numbers, especially given that the establishments of...

May I thank the Minister for all the review's courteous exchanges with my all-party group on reserve forces? The review brings good news in the form of innovative ideas for training, especially basic training, but that is balanced with extremely bad news about numbers, especially given that the establishments of...

My hon. Friend is making a powerful point. Does he agree that all those goods by definition end up in British ports, so we must have the capability to keep those ports clear of mines?

My hon. Friend is making a powerful point. Does he agree that all those goods by definition end up in British ports, so we must have the capability to keep those ports clear of mines?

Yes, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. With very little expenditure, we could do a great deal to fix our officer training. I have talked about recruitment. I end with what is at the heart of the problem of retention of officers and senior and junior NCOs in the Territorial...

Yes, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. With very little expenditure, we could do a great deal to fix our officer training. I have talked about recruitment. I end with what is at the heart of the problem of retention of officers and senior and junior NCOs in the Territorial...

May I start by paying tribute to the 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, better known as the Argylls, and the 3rd Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, a Territorial Army unit, both of which are based in my constituency? The Argylls returned from Afghanistan with one young...

May I start by paying tribute to the 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, better known as the Argylls, and the 3rd Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, a Territorial Army unit, both of which are based in my constituency? The Argylls returned from Afghanistan with one young...

I commend what the hon. Gentleman has just said, as I am sure that the whole House does. The downside of the growing concentration of our regular forces on a small number of so-called super-bases is that events such as he describes are gradually ending. Some of those super-bases are...

I commend what the hon. Gentleman has just said, as I am sure that the whole House does. The downside of the growing concentration of our regular forces on a small number of so-called super-bases is that events such as he describes are gradually ending. Some of those super-bases are...