Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a NATO 302 form must be completed before they can move armed forces personnel and military equipment from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and if so, why.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Protocol is clear that it respects the essential state functions and territorial integrity of the UK. It therefore places no restrictions on military movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
A NATO 302 Form is not needed under the Northern Ireland Protocol to move Armed Forces personnel or military equipment between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are required to give a 15 day period of advance notice of their intention to move armed forces personnel and military equipment from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; if so, (1) to whom they give notice, (2) whether such personnel and equipment can be refused entry, and (3) what emergency procedures can be implemented if any notice period cannot be adhered to; and whether any such requirement applies to all (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy, and (c) Royal Air force, deployments.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Protocol is clear that it respects the essential state functions and territorial integrity of the UK. It therefore places no restrictions on military movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
A NATO 302 Form is not needed under the Northern Ireland Protocol to move Armed Forces personnel or military equipment between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many veterans in Northern Ireland are in receipt of (1) a war disablement pension, or (2) Armed Forces compensation.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
As at 31 March 2020 there were 3,558 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of a War Disablement Pension under the War Pension Scheme and 65 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of a tax-free monthly Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) residing in Northern Ireland.
AFCS tax-free lump sum awards are paid to Service personnel and veterans as compensation for pain and suffering for an injury or illness that is predominantly caused or made worse by Service. Location data is not routinely updated following payment of a lump sum award. Where a lump sum award has been made at tariff levels 1-11 (reflecting a more serious injury/illness), the claimant will also be awarded a tax-free index-linked income stream known as a Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP).
As at 31 March 2020 there were 654 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of the War Pension Mobility Supplement under the War Pension Scheme residing in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many veterans in Northern Ireland are in receipt of a war pension scheme mobility supplement.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
As at 31 March 2020 there were 3,558 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of a War Disablement Pension under the War Pension Scheme and 65 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of a tax-free monthly Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) residing in Northern Ireland.
AFCS tax-free lump sum awards are paid to Service personnel and veterans as compensation for pain and suffering for an injury or illness that is predominantly caused or made worse by Service. Location data is not routinely updated following payment of a lump sum award. Where a lump sum award has been made at tariff levels 1-11 (reflecting a more serious injury/illness), the claimant will also be awarded a tax-free index-linked income stream known as a Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP).
As at 31 March 2020 there were 654 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of the War Pension Mobility Supplement under the War Pension Scheme residing in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards improving the effectiveness and reliability of power plants on Type 45 destroyers.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin), in the House of Commons on 8 June 2020 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Douglas Chapman), in response to Question numbers 53459 and 53460.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to accelerate the construction of the new Type 31 class of frigates for the Royal Navy, given the increasing workload being created by the situation in the Gulf and the imminent deployment of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
We remain committed to ensuring the Royal Navy has the ships and capabilities required to fulfil Defence commitments now and in the future.
The first Type 31 Frigate will be in the water in 2023 and Babcock is contractually obliged to deliver all five Type 31 Frigates to the Ministry of Defence by the end of 2028.
The Prime Minister has committed to undertake the deepest review of Britain's security, defence and foreign policy. This review will examine how we strengthen and prioritise our alliances, diplomacy and development and will consider all aspects of our defence and security capabilities, including our approach to procurement and maintaining our technological edge. We are considering a number of options to increase the availability of ships during this period.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the new Type 31 class of frigate will be fitted with an anti-ship missile system.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Flexible by design, the Type 31 frigates will be adaptable to a range of capabilities, which may include an anti-ship missile system.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress of the programme to ensure that the Navy's fleet of destroyers are fully fit for operations.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The first Type 45 destroyer is due to undergo Power Improvement Project upgrades in 2020 and will be returning to sea trials in 2021. Our £160 million investment in the Power Improvement Project will provide increases in both power generation and reliability for the rest of the Type 45 destroyers' service life. It is planned that all six ships should have completed their upgrade during the mid-2020s.
Like all Royal Navy ships, the Type 45 destroyers rotate through planned operating cycles involving maintenance, training, deployment, leave and capability upgrades. This results in individual ships being at various levels of readiness. The Type 45 Destroyers continue to be deployed on operations and contribute to the defence of the UK and our international partners.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security vetting procedures in place for suppliers of components for Ministry of Defence procurement contracts.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) places the highest priority on the security and safety of our personnel and equipment.
The MOD's consideration of security matters associated with procurement contracts is defined by the Cabinet Office within the Government's Security Policy Framework. This framework is subject to periodic review to ensure it remains fit for purpose.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether investigations compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights were carried out for all military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
All Service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan were repatriated to the United Kingdom and each death was subject to an investigation carried out by a Coroner (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland). It is for the Coroner to determine the scope of an inquest including the application of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Ministry of Defence fully supports all Coroners inquests.