MP WELCOMES U-TURN ON TA CUTS

MONMOUTH MP David Davies has made a major speech in the House of Commons on the Government's u-turn to cut the training budget of the Territorial Army.

Mr Davies spoke about his own experience serving with the 104 Air Defence Regiment in Newport during the 1980s and said that weekly drill nights, which Ministers originally wanted to axe, were a vital part of training for TA soldiers.

"I do not know what was going through people's minds when they thought it would be a good idea to get rid of that training," said Mr Davies.

"Drill night consisted of a little bit of drilling, yes, but also vehicle maintenance, weapons training, fitness training, map reading - a host of activities, all of which are vital soldering activities. More than that, there was something else going on that may not have been quite so obvious to us at the time. We are knitting together and becoming cohesive as a unit.

"I never thought for one minute that by joining the TA in Newport, I would have been sent off to war. It is highly unlikely that I would have been, and in fact I never got beyond Salisbury plain, but people who join the Territorial Army these days know it is very likely indeed that they will end up in a war zone".

Mr Davies also paid tribute to the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers, who will be deploying to Afghanistan later this year.

"These are people who have comfortable civilian jobs back in Monmouthshire, yet they are willing to spend six months of their life in a war zone for very little reward," he said.

"If we are going to fight a war of any sort, we ought to ensure that the personnel are properly equipped; that there is enough manpower to see that when they have done their six-month tour of duty, they have enough time off with their family and are not simply sent out to another war zone a few months later; and that they are properly and adequately paid.

"They are not paid anything like enough for the work that they do and the sacrifice that they make. When I see money being wasted in other Departments, I am irritated that the first place to which the Government turn to look for cuts is the one place where all the money ought to be ring-fenced."

Speaking afterwards, Mr Davies said: "If the Government want to save £20 million, I can think of plenty of other ways without affecting anybody's life. I'm pleased the Prime Minister has now abandoned the planned cutbacks and I will be seeking an assurance that this will never happen again".

A full transcript of David's speech can be found at www.david-daviesmp.co.uk