Mike: In the later years that we still had them, it was generally recognized that our Pioneers were not mine warfare experts, and on ops they were generally not permitted to do any countermine work-this was left to the attached Sappers. The Pnrs did not like this (nor did I, at the time) but in retrospect, and after seeing first-hand the very high skill levels of our Sappers, I guess I understand it now.
To me, the ideal solution would be to bring back an 031 Pnr Pl. Not just for the capabilities they gave us, but for the very important broadening that the Pl (along with Mortars and AArmour, which we have also lost...) gave to all ranks. It was great to have 031 NCOs in your Pl or Coy who had been in Pnrs-they were extremely useful, and I believe they were better soldiers for it. People in other branches think that we Inf are selfish about the loss of these functions, but you cannot imagine the very deep misgivings that these losses have created in the hearts of many of us. One of our greatest strengths as Inf on the world stage was the broadness and flexibility of our soldiers, espcially our NCOs. This appears to have been lost.
The second solution I could buy is that we would have a field troop permanently posted in, just as Maint Pl is. This would fix the capability problem but would do nothing for the loss of experience for our NCOs. It would, however, be a hell of a lot better than have a troop attached"now and then" (and let's be honest that's how it would probably work...). An Inf bn works best as a team of people who know and trust each other. IMHO we have now damaged that, very badly. Of course you are right to say that we will "survive", but we want to do more than just "survive".
Cheers.