To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the manning levels for infantry battalions; and how many battalions are at full strength disregarding personnel posted away from their unit but included in the strength figures. [9201]
The strength of the Army's Infantry Battalions at 1 June 1997 is shown at Table 1. The figures include only those personnel serving with their parent units. There are at present eight Battalions either at or above full strength as shown at Table 2.
| Table 1: Infantry | ||
| Strength | Surplus deficit against establishment | |
| Household Division | ||
| 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards | 433 | -125 |
| N Company, Grenadier Guards | 98 | -2 |
| 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards | 580 | -48 |
| 7 Company, Coldstream Guards | 113 | +13 |
| 1st Battalion Scots Guards | 440 | -83 |
| F Company, Scots Guards | 84 | -16 |
| 1st Battalion, Irish Guards | 447 | -76 |
| 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards | 497 | -25 |
| Total | 2,692 | -362 |
| Scottish Division | ||
| 1st Battalion, Royal Scots | 408 | -174 |
| 1st Battalion, Royal Highland Fusiliers | 519 | -107 |
| 1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers | 441 | -79 |
| 1st Battalion, Black Watch | 453 | -70 |
| 1st Battalion, Highlanders | 507 | -76 |
| 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders | 471 | -87 |
| Total | 2,799 | -593 |
| Queens Division | ||
| 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment | 413 | -126 |
| 2nd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment | 518 | -37 |
| 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers | 504 | -51 |
| 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers | 607 | -18 |
| 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian | 531 | +12 |
| 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian | 570 | +9 |
| Total | 3,143 | -211 |
| Kings Division | ||
| 1st Battalion, The King's Own Royal Border Regiment | 533 | -92 |
| 1st Battalion, The King's Regiment | 543 | +4 |
| 1st Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment | 537 | +18 |
Table 1: Infantry
| ||
Strength
| Surplus deficit against establishment
| |
| 1st Battalion, The Green Howards | 611 | -14 |
| 1st Battalion, The Queen's Lancashire Regiment | 489 | -90 |
| 1st Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment | 573 | +54 |
| Total | 3,286 | -120 |
Prince of Wales Division
| ||
| 1st Battalion, The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment | 577 | -48 |
| 1st Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment | 486 | -69 |
| 1st Battalion, The Royal Welch Fusiliers | 507 | -12 |
| 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Wales | 477 | -45 |
| 1st Battalion, The Royal Gloucester Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment | 523 | -58 |
| 1st Battalion, The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment | 634 | +9 |
| 1st Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment | 528 | +9 |
| Total | 3,732 | -214 |
Light Division
| ||
| 1st Battalion, The Light Infantry | 466 | -73 |
| 2nd Battalion, The Light Infantry | 524 | -31 |
| 1st Battalion, The Royal Green jackets | 489 | -90 |
| 2nd Battalion, The Royal Green Jackets | 567 | -58 |
| Totals | 2,046 | -252 |
The Parachute Regiment
| ||
| 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment | 506 | -38 |
| 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment | 463 | -81 |
| 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment | 437 | -82 |
| Total | 1,406 | -201 |
Royal Irish Regiment
| ||
| 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment | 436 | -145 |
| Total | 436 | -145 |
The Brigade of Gurkhas
| ||
| 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles | 632 | -11 |
| 2nd Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles | 749 | +10 |
| Total | 1,381 | -1 |
The figures shown above exclude the re-inforcement of 1st Battalion Royal Scots, 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment by the Gurkha Re-inforcement Companies totalling 300.
Table 2
- 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian
- 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian
- 1st Battalion The King's Regiment
- 1st Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment
- 1st Battalion The Duke of Wellington's Regiment
- 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment
- 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment
- 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.