The petition of residents of Wrexham in the constituency of Wrexham,
Declares that the petitioners recognise the long military tradition of Wrexham and North Wales and its relationship with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; further declares that they are deeply concerned over the proposal to move the battalion headquarters from Wrexham to Bristol, and away from the area which has served the British Army and Wales for so many years.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to retain the current 101 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Wrexham.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Ian C. Lucas, Official Report, 25 April 2017; Vol. 624, c. 1068.]
[P002035]
The petition of residents in the constituency of Clwyd South,
Declares that the petitioners recognise the long military tradition of Wrexham and North Wales and its relationship with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; further declares that they are deeply concerned over the proposal to move the battalion headquarters from Wrexham to Bristol, and away from the area which has served the British Army and Wales for so many years.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to retain the current 101 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Wrexham.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Susan Elan Jones, Official Report, 25 April 2017; Vol. 624, c. 1068 .]
[P002036]
Observations from the Minister for the Armed Forces (Mark Lancaster):
This decision to transfer the headquarters of 101 Battalion from Wrexham to Bristol has been made as a part of Army 2020 Refine, which is refining the Army’s force structures to deliver the commitments made by the Government in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.
Army 2020 Refine continues our investment in the Army Reserve and sustains the successful pairing strategy between regular and reserve units envisioned by Army 2020. It also maximises the reserve presence in geographical areas that recruit well and has created two new reserve infantry battalions, and a new reserve engineer regiment will be established next year.
As a part of this approach, the Reserve Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) are being reorganised nationally to provide a smaller number of more technical specialists to support the warfighting division. The changes will result in the removal of three Reserve REME Battalions (104, 105 and 106 REME) and the transfer of the functions provided by the headquarters of 101 Battalion from Wrexham to Bristol. All personnel affected will be assisted to transfer to the co-located Royal Welsh Regiment or other units locally.
The Army remains committed to North Wales and the important and valued relationship with the region. Hightown Barracks Army Reserve Centre in Wrexham will continue to home a platoon from 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh, a detachment from Wales University Officer Training Corps and a detachment of Clwyd & Gwynedd Army Cadet Force. There are also Army Reserve units in Colwyn Bay, Llandudno, Caenarfon, and Queensferry.
North Wales also continues to be home to the RAF’s advanced fast jet training school at RAF Valley, where the runway was recently refurbished to extend its life by a further 25 years. Meanwhile, the Defence Electronics & Components Agency (DECA), based at MOD Sealand in North East Wales, was chosen as the global repair hub providing maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade services for F-35 avionic and aircraft components. Both emphasise the continued importance of North Wales to Defence.