Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the allegations of sexism, misogyny and sexual assault in the Ministry of Defence, in a recent letter sent in October which included testimonies from 60 female civil servants at the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We already have strong insight into unacceptable behaviours and their impact within the Armed Forces from the Parliamentary Inquiry led by Sarah Atherton MP in 2021, together with the Wigston Review in 2019, and the review led by former non-executive Director Danuta Gray. Our responses to the House of Commons Defence Committee’s Women in the Armed Forces Inquiry in particular set out the significant work that has been carried out to implement their recommendations and build continuous improvement into our approach to policy, culture and behaviours. However, we recognise there is more to do, particularly for our civilian women. We are taking forward a detailed action plan to build on our current work, amplifying the voices of our women and further embedding the change they rightly demand of us.
The action plan includes support from two Non-Executive Directors, and senior colleagues from other Government Departments. It will also draw on wider national security cultural inquiry work and the experience of partner organisations, for example considering their approach to independent ethics counsellors, as a source of external advice and support. The Department has no current plans to commission an independent investigation.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission an independent investigation into the culture of sexism and misogyny at the Ministry of Defence, as called for by the FDA trade union.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We already have strong insight into unacceptable behaviours and their impact within the Armed Forces from the Parliamentary Inquiry led by Sarah Atherton MP in 2021, together with the Wigston Review in 2019, and the review led by former non-executive Director Danuta Gray. Our responses to the House of Commons Defence Committee’s Women in the Armed Forces Inquiry in particular set out the significant work that has been carried out to implement their recommendations and build continuous improvement into our approach to policy, culture and behaviours. However, we recognise there is more to do, particularly for our civilian women. We are taking forward a detailed action plan to build on our current work, amplifying the voices of our women and further embedding the change they rightly demand of us.
The action plan includes support from two Non-Executive Directors, and senior colleagues from other Government Departments. It will also draw on wider national security cultural inquiry work and the experience of partner organisations, for example considering their approach to independent ethics counsellors, as a source of external advice and support. The Department has no current plans to commission an independent investigation.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support armed forces personnel with the increased cost of living.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Defence recognises that nobody is immune from the recent rises in inflation and the cost of living. We are committed to doing what we can to assist Armed Forces personnel where possible, including implementing the independent Armed Forces' Pay Review Body's 2022 pay award recommendations in full, a pay uplift of 3.75%; capping subsidised accommodation charge increases to 1%; increasing travel allowances by 7%; no rise in food charges; over 32,000 Service Personnel have received a Contribution in Lieu of Council Tax rebate of £150; and families can save around £3,400 per child per year through our wraparound childcare.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's resilience against nuclear weapons.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The United Kingdom’s (UK) independent nuclear deterrent exists to deter the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, which cannot be deterred by other means.
His Majesty’s Government will continue to keep our nuclear posture under constant review in light of the international security environment and the actions of potential adversaries. The UK will maintain the capability required to impose costs on an adversary that would far outweigh the benefits they could hope to achieve should they threaten our, or our Allies’, security.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many gambling or gaming machines are present on military bases in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I can confirm that some gambling and gaming machines are present on military bases in the UK. Whilst I am unable to advise precisely how many there are as this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, I would wish to provide reassurance that work is underway to understand the scale of problem gambling within the Armed Forces and to address it accordingly.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their ability to combat piracy once fully automated ships have been brought into service, and of how fully automated ships and their cargo can be protected from illegal boarding in the absence of a crew.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Royal Navy (RN) is developing its plans to bring minimally crewed and uncrewed boats and ships into service. The reduction and removal of crew from boats and ships may bring new challenges, including dealing with illegal boarding.
Identification of all of these challenges, and solutions to overcome these are ongoing. These will be in place before the RN deploys minimally crewed and uncrewed boats and ships into service.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capability of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs) provided to Russia by Iran; and what steps they are taking to help Ukrainians defend themselves from Russian UAV attacks.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Russia has attacked civilian infrastructure in Ukraine with one-way, long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), supplied by the Government of Iran. Such action is illegal under international law. The use of Iranian drones is also further evidence of Russia's increasing reliance on others to sustain the campaign and how far it has depleted its own equipment stocks.
Bolstering Ukraine's air defences has been and remains a priority for UK military support. To date, the UK has provided a variety of air defence systems and missiles and will shortly complete the delivery of almost 1,000 additional short-range anti-aircraft missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The missiles will play a vital role in the provision of air defence for Ukraine and the protection of its critical infrastructure.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any gaming machines of any category as defined in the Gambling Act 2005 in any (1) catering, (2) retail, or (3) leisure facilities, in UK bases provided by the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I can confirm that some gaming machines are present in the facilities noted. However, I am unable to advise precisely how many there are as this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. As indicated at the committee on the Armed Forces Bill on 2 November 2021, direction has been given by the Army for any gambling/ gaming machines on their bases to be removed.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to part 3.1 of the policy paper Global Britain in a Competitive Age, the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published on 16 March, what "doctrinal threats" they believe would warrant a nuclear response.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I can assure the Rt. Rev Prelate the Lord Bishop that the UK would consider using nuclear weapons only in the most extreme circumstances of self-defence, including the defence of our NATO Allies. While our resolve and capability to do so if necessary is beyond doubt, to avoid simplifying the calculations of potential adversaries, we will remain deliberately ambiguous about precisely when, how and at what scale we would contemplate the use of our nuclear weapons.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 3 November 2020 (HL9440), what resources are available for training new officers in the British Armed Forces to identify those under their command who are experiencing financial difficulties caused by gambling.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Trainee Officers in the UK Armed Forces are provided with briefing to identify the various indicators that personnel under their command may be experiencing financial difficulties, including those caused by gambling. We also provide our Officers with briefings from the Royal British Legion MoneyForce initiative which aim to assist all Service personnel, their partners, families and dependants, to be better equipped to manage their money and financial affairs. When problem-gambling is identified, Officers are equipped with information and advice on where to signpost their personnel to receive help, including through specialist military welfare staffs (SSAFA), Service charities, the NHS Problem Gambling Clinic, Gamcare, the Gordon Moody Association and Gamblers Anonymous.
Officers can also signpost their personnel to the Joining Forces Credit Union which supplies bespoke products to move Service personnel away from Payday Loan Companies. Joint Forces Credit Union has also set up a specific COVID-19 support package. In addition, The Money and Pensions Service have also run a financial awareness campaign with the British Forces Broadcasting Service to highlight everything from savings/loans to pensions.