With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I wish to present a Petition in the following terms:

To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled.

In order to save the time of the House, I shall not ask that the Petition be read again. I will explain it. This Petition is from about 1,800 people in my constituency and is signed by a justice of the peace, councillors, county councillors, electors and others, asking this Honourable House to consider the proposals for the Territorial Army and asking that those proposals be reconsidered. I also declare my interest in that I am a serving officer in the Territorial Army. The Petition ends with the Prayer.

And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.

With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I wish to present a Petition signed by several hundred members of my constituency, the Ludlow division.

The Petition sheweth:

That Her Majesty's Government's proposals for the reorganisation of the Territorial Army so far as they are publicly known take too little account of the value of the Territorial Army in Civil Defence, as a means of the expansion of Her Majesty's Forces in a future National Emergency, as a strong local influence in the support of Her Majesty's regular Forces and as a social benefit to the community.

Wherefore, your Petitioners pray that the House of Commons do urge Her Majesty's Government to consider the reorganisation of the Territorial Army further before making firm proposals to Parliament."

The Petition ends,

And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.