Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Armed Forces have full control over all weapons systems they have purchased and do not require the authority or permission of a third party for their use.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
All equipment procured for use by the UK Armed Forces is for defence purposes and so permission is not required from any third party for its deployment or use by UK personnel.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that F-35 aircraft purchased by the Royal Air Force contain a ‘kill switch’ controlled by either the manufacturer or the US government that can render them useless.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer my hon. Friend Luke Pollard MP gave to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) to Question 94529 on 3 December 2025 in the House of Commons.
The Ministry of Defence has Operational Sovereignty/Freedom of Action to operate the UK 'F-35 aircraft at the time and place of the UK Defence's choosing' and to 'procure critical capabilities to be located in the UK'.
This is combined with an in-depth understanding of the aircraft's capabilities that enable Operational Readiness and risk to be assessed against national legislation, the Geneva Convention and our Duty of Care before committing the equipment and personnel to operations.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost to (1) businesses, and (2) consumers, in Northern Ireland of the introduction by the European Union of a €2 handling charge for parcels with a value of less than €150.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are aware of changes to the EU’s rules of low-value imports and the announcement in December 2025 of its intention to introduce a handling fee on consumer parcels from November 2026.
At the Budget in November 2025, the Chancellor also announced the removal of the UK's relief from customs duty on goods below £135 from March 2029 at the latest. There is currently a consultation on these changes that closes on 6th March 2026.
We are committed to ensuring that the current facilitations available for parcels under the Windsor Framework continue to operate. The EU has not yet published their full legislation in relation to the handling fee and therefore an assessment cannot be made. The Government is, however, engaging closely with the EU with regard to their announcements.
The Government continues to engage with industry and the EU to ensure any applicable arrangements are implemented correctly and to minimise any negative impacts on Northern Ireland consumers and businesses.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK diplomats are accredited to (1) the Russian Federation, (2) the People's Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The number of accredited diplomats to the UK at these three embassies are: 1) Russia – 30; 2) China – 143 and 3) Iran - 15. This information is publicly available on the London Diplomatic List at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk
UK citizens who are members of the Embassies and Consulates of the United Kingdom in (1) the Russian Federation (2) the People’s Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran are notified to relevant offices of each Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in line with Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR 1961) and Article 19 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR 1963).
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many diplomats from (1) the Russian Federation, (2) the People's Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran, are accredited in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The number of accredited diplomats to the UK at these three embassies are: 1) Russia – 30; 2) China – 143 and 3) Iran - 15. This information is publicly available on the London Diplomatic List at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk
UK citizens who are members of the Embassies and Consulates of the United Kingdom in (1) the Russian Federation (2) the People’s Republic of China, and (3) the Islamic Republic of Iran are notified to relevant offices of each Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in line with Article 10 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR 1961) and Article 19 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR 1963).
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of the United Arab Emirates will not provide scholarships to students seeking to attend UK universities on the grounds that they might be subject to radicalisation by Islamic extremists on UK campuses.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK offers one of the best education systems in the world, especially teaching and research in high growth sectors of the future. We welcome high quality students from across the world, including from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
No form of extremism has any place in our society, and we have some of the strongest laws in the world to protect our citizens from hatred and terrorism. The government maintains stringent measures to safeguard all students and our Prevent strategy, recently updated to address evolving threats, and our consistent review and proscription of extremist organisations, underline our ongoing commitment to student welfare and campus safety.
The education sector continues to play a vital role in safeguarding learners from radicalisation, being the highest contributor of referrals to the Prevent programme. To support this effort, we provide resources through the Educate Against Hate website, helping pupils and staff understand terrorism risks and challenge extremist views.
The UK and UAE have a deep and long-standing bilateral relationship and we will continue to discuss this matter with their government.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK’s placement in the recent NATO rankings of defence spending as a percentage of GDP.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK is the third largest cash spender in NATO and this Government has increased defence spending as a proportion of GDP as well as committing to the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.
Defence spending will rise to 2.6% of GDP from 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament. At the Hague Summit last July, the Prime Minister also committed to spending 5% on national security.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statements by the President of the United States of America regarding the status of Greenland.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the responses I gave to the House in response to oral questions on 8 January, Official Report, vol. 851, cols. 1317-1320.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria are applied to determine how many diplomatic visas are issued to countries with embassies in the UK.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
His Majesty's Government does not set criteria for limiting the number of diplomatic staff accredited to the UK. However, as set out in the 1985 Government Report on the Review of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, His Majesty's Government may limit the size of a mission in cases where there are issues relating to the nature of a mission's activities, or to take account of the size of the UK mission in the country concerned. Such considerations are made on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of feedback from businesses that use the Trader Support Service.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
In 2024, the TSS had a customer satisfaction score of 89%. Traders score on information, ease of use, whether they would recommend the service and overall satisfaction. This feedback is used to make improvements to the TSS portal, communications and education materials.