Asked by: Lord Bishop of Worcester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have put in place to deal with the potential transmission of COVID-19 to civilians among UK military personnel and staff deployed to UN peacekeeping missions in Africa.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
We continue to work closely with the UN to support a coordinated approach to limiting the spread of COVID-19, including from UN peacekeepers to local populations.
The UK and all other nations contributing to peacekeeping missions have implemented additional measures to prevent the spread of the virus. While not an exhaustive list, these include a reduction in rotations and deployments of military personnel, pre-deployment quarantine of personnel, mission-led processes for isolating those suspected of contracting the virus, and changes to the level and means of interaction between peacekeepers and local populations.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Worcester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that military action by coalition forces in Iraq does not displace civilians.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Defence's initial involvement last summer was to deliver immediate aid in support of humanitarian objectives. The Royal Air Force dropped nearly 100 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, the majority to the besieged Yazidi community on Mount Sinjar.
Individual members of the Coalition retain responsibility for the actions of their own forces. All UK air strikes are conducted under UK rules of engagement, which have been agreed for this campaign in accordance with the law. Close observation, careful selection and approval of targets before a strike, and the use of precision weapons minimises collateral damage and the potential for civilian casualties. This is in stark contrast with ISIL's complete disregard for human life and for the consequences of their actions for civilians.