Cadet Forces
Debate between Baroness Goldie and Lord Fowler(3 years, 1 month ago)
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Baroness Goldie (Con) [V]
The noble Baroness makes a very interesting suggestion, which I will certainly reflect on. Given that the age range for cadets goes up to 18, our principal engagement is with schools, but I will look into this further.
The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler)
My Lords, the time allowed for this Question has elapsed.
Nuclear Weapons
Debate between Baroness Goldie and Lord Fowler(3 years, 4 months ago)
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Baroness Goldie (Con)
Responding from the perspective of defence, I do not accept the premise of the noble Viscount’s question. When we are dealing with threats to security and the safety of our country and our citizens, we go down all routes—security routes, MoD roots and diplomatic routes—and they are all vital. The recent settlement offered by the Government to the MoD reflects the importance that we attach to that.
The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler)
My Lords, the time allowed for this Question has elapsed.
HMS “Queen Elizabeth”
Debate between Baroness Goldie and Lord Fowler(3 years, 5 months ago)
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Baroness Goldie (Con)
The noble and gallant Lord will be aware that, in contemplating any deployment, we make an extensive and robust assessment of risk in all respects. That is what we do at the moment and what we shall continue to do.
The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler)
My Lords, the time allowed for this Question has elapsed. It was a rather leisurely session, which means that three Members were unable to be brought in. We now come to the second Oral Question.
Armed Forces Personnel from Commonwealth Countries
Debate between Baroness Goldie and Lord Fowler(3 years, 6 months ago)
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Baroness Goldie (Con)
I do not for one moment doubt the noble Lord’s sincerity, although he will be aware that the policy obtained during the time of the coalition Government, of which his party was part. It is complex, and I am not diminishing that. We are talking not just of Commonwealth citizens, which I think is the focus of the Royal British Legion campaign; we are also talking about the Gurkhas. We are very conscious of the immense contribution that they all make, and we are actively investigating whether there is anything that we can do to support them better.
The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler)
My Lords, the time allowed for this Question has elapsed. We now come to the second Oral Question.
Fleet Solid Support Ships
Debate between Baroness Goldie and Lord Fowler(3 years, 6 months ago)
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Baroness Goldie (Con)
We are aware of the scheduled end of service for “Fort Victoria”, which is in 2028. We are satisfied that we can make the necessary arrangements to continue the support which will be required. On delay, as my noble friend will be aware, the National Audit Office has made it clear that it is too early to say what impact stopping the original competition process might have on the entry into service of the fleet solid support ships. We will seek to mitigate any delay, and we shall certainly assess—as we are currently doing—the interest of those parties which have responded to the prior information notice process. We hope to proceed to make further information available to Parliament on the procurement strategy.
The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler)
My Lords, the time allowed for this Question has sadly elapsed.
Covid-19: Military Operations and Support
Debate between Baroness Goldie and Lord Fowler(3 years, 7 months ago)
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Baroness Goldie (Con)
The noble Lord is quite correct that decisions were taken to pause certain exercises, and that was the correct decision with regard to the safety and well-being of those who otherwise would have participated. NATO and all member states are anxious to resume activity when circumstances permit that to happen. We must take account of situations in host countries, not just their health situation but what their particular requirements and restrictions may be. I am confident there is a resolve on the part of NATO and the member states to do whatever we can to continue activity, but we must always have at the forefront of that the health, well-being and safety of the personnel of all member states.
The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler)
My Lords, all supplementary questions have been asked. We now move to the second Oral Question.
Covid-19: Security Risks
Debate between Baroness Goldie and Lord Fowler(3 years, 11 months ago)
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Baroness Goldie
The noble Lord will be aware of this Government’s very creditable record in relation to defence expenditure. We saw an upping of £2.2 billion for 2019-20. We have committed to a 0.5% increase above inflation for the lifetime of the Parliament. The Government’s commitment to and resolute support for defence are self-evident.
The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler)
The time allotted for this Question has now elapsed. My apologies to the noble Lord, Lord West of Spithead.