To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect the creation of a new Northern Ireland Frontier Army Battalion will have on (a) part-time Ulster Defence Regiment members in the area concerned and (b) full-time Ulster Defence Regiment personnel deployable along the frontier.

The planned formation of the additional brigade headquarters in Northern Ireland will not entail any changes to the present strengths of the part-time or permanent cadre UDR. However, there will be a number of changes in the deployment of both Regular Army and UDR units. It is not the policy to disclose such operational deployments.