To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2006, Official Report, column 626, on training, what steps he is taking to address consequences for the training of troops of the operational tempo. (130592)

The Ministry of Defence constantly assesses the impact of operational pressures on the force structure and adjusts programmes accordingly. To accommodate the training for current levels of operational deployment, the focus of training across defence, particularly in the land and air environments, has shifted towards training for specific operations rather than for general contingencies. Training for general contingencies continues, however, to form a significant part of Commander Joint Operations’ exercise programme, which ensures that the knowledge and experience required to command and control such operations is maintained over time.