Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any of the ammunition currently being supplied to Ukraine contains depleted uranium.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition including armour piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium. Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armoured vehicles.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to President Erdogan of Turkey threatening to launch a new military operation in Syria, what plans they have to suspend military cooperation with Turkey until the operation is renounced.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
In light of recent public statements, we are concerned about any potential military escalation in Northern Syria, which risks impacting the stability and security of the region, international efforts to defeat Daesh, and the already fragile humanitarian situation.
We continue to monitor the situation closely and to assess what impact military escalation in Syria might have.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop long-term strategies for preventing wars, both between states and within them; and how they will link any such strategies to (1) defence policy, and (2) the need to limit global warming.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The 2021 Integrated Review set out the Government's current assessment of the major trends that will shape the national security and international environment to 2030. The Integrated Review reasserts the Government's commitment to be a force for good in the world and outlines how the UK will continue to play a leading international role in conflict resolution and prevention. The Integrated Review also committed to seek multilateral solutions to climate change.
In line with the overarching objectives set out in the Integrated Review, the Government has published sub-strategies to deliver the Government's vision for defence and security policy.
The 2021 Defence Command Paper outlines how the Integrated Review aligns with defence policy. The Command Paper, along with departmental sub-strategies, will continue to be reviewed in line with the agile planning and delivery mechanisms developed following the Integrated Review.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any refugees are present on the territory of the British sovereign bases in Cyprus; if so, how many; and what plans they have for the resettlement of any such persons.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Sovereign Base Areas Administration informs me that there are no refugees recognised by the Administration present in the territory of the Sovereign Base Areas.
It is possible that refugees, recognised by the Republic of Cyprus, could be present within the jurisdiction of the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus, because there are no immigration controls between the Republic of Cyprus and the Sovereign Base Areas, and persons afforded refugee status by the Republic of Cyprus may move freely throughout the island.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to establish a permanent naval force in the (1) Indian, and (2) Pacific, oceans; if so, where they intend to establish dockyards to conduct repairs for those forces; and whether such forces would be protected by permanent air defences.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
In support of the strategic tilt toward the Indo-Pacific announced by Her Majesty’s Government in the Integrated Review (CP 403) on 16 March 2021, the Ministry of Defence plans to establish a persistent maritime presence in the Indo-Pacific region. On 22 March 2021, the Secretary of State for Defence outlined a plan to Parliament (CP 411) to deliver this through Offshore Patrol Vessels from 2021, a Littoral Response Group from 2023 and a permanently assigned Frigate by the end of the decade. These forces will intentionally operate asymmetrically, without a nominated base. They will use existing UK, allied and partner facilities around the region enabled by our existing global support agreements. Consequently, no permanent air defences are required.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to (1) the government of Russia’s seizure of Crimea, and (2) the government of Azerbaijan’s attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, what plans they have to review their policies for (a) nuclear, and (b) other deterrence.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The international order is more fragmented, characterised by intensifying competition between states over interests, norms and values.
The UK's defence and deterrence policy is kept constantly under review to ensure that it reflects the current security environment. NATO remains the foundation of collective security in the Euro-Atlantic area, where our commitment to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty remains our most powerful deterrent. To respond to emerging security challenges, including sub-threshold activity, Her Majesty's Government applies modern deterrence: the application of all appropriate tools to deter actual or potential adversaries from attempting harm against the UK or our partners.
We continue to use the full spectrum of our capabilities to deter adversaries and to deny them opportunities to attack us or our allies. The UK's nuclear deterrent exists to deter the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to assess the effectiveness of the UK's nuclear deterrent; and what assessment, if any, they have made of its efficacy in preventing the government of China from breaching the terms of Joint Sino-British declaration.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The fact there has been no major conflict between Nuclear Weapons States, and that the United Kingdom has never needed to launch armed nuclear weapons, demonstrates the effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent.
The nuclear deterrent exists to deter the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, which cannot be deterred by other means. It is not intended to deter or respond to all possible threats or situations.
For details on the Government's actions in response to the situation in Hong Kong, I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by the Minister of State, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, to Lord Alton of Liverpool in response to Question HL10654.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Ministry of Defence dwellings are currently lying empty in each of (1) England, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales; and what plans they have, if any, to modernise and re-let those dwellings.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
As of 27 January 2020 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently has 8951 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties vacant in England (20%), 850 properties in Scotland (27%) and 274 properties in Wales (25%). These figures represent a snapshot in time as the occupancy rate varies on a daily basis as Service families move in and out. The Department is focused on reducing the number of empty properties in the UK from the current level of 20% overall to a 10% management margin by Autumn 2021. This is being achieved by handing back vacant properties in England and Wales to Annington Homes; widening eligibility to cohabiting couples and Service leavers; and accelerating the letting of temporarily empty properties to screened members of the public at prevailing market rates.
SFA are modernised as required to maintain them at a Decent Homes Standard (DHS). 97% of all SFA meet DHS as a minimum, and are, therefore, available for allocation to Service families. In the last financial year this resulted in approximately 3,800 homes receiving upgrades, including new kitchens and bathrooms.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are reducing the RAF air fleet in Iraq and North-East Syria.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Tornado will retire, as planned, in March 2019 after a long and illustrious contribution to British combat air power. A full range of ground attack capabilities have now been integrated onto the Typhoon aircraft under Project Centurion. Consequently, Tornado has been withdrawn from Operation Shader, handing over operations to Typhoon, with no reduction in the capability or effectiveness of the RAF's contribution to the Global Coalition against Daesh. As counter-Daesh operations evolve, we will keep our operational capability to meet the threat under review.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what precise measures have been developed by the armed services to ensure that those leaving service have adequate accommodation and avoid rough sleeping after discharge.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
All Service leavers are provided with information on sources of housing help in their leaving information packs which are issued before discharge. The Joint Services Housing Advice Office (JSHAO) provides a dedicated focal point within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for housing information and advice for those about to return to civilian life. The JSHAO gives regular nationwide briefings advising Service personnel of their housing options.
In 2012, the Government changed the law so that serving personnel suffering from a serious injury, illness or disability attributable to their service, and former Service personnel with urgent housing needs, are always given high priority for social housing. The Government has issued guidance strongly encouraging councils to prioritise all members of the Armed Forces and their families for social housing. This is statutory guidance to which councils must pay regard and is published at:
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/allocationaccommodationguide
The MOD is developing a new tri-Service policy to provide more comprehensive support to Service personnel and their families as they transition out of the Armed Forces to civilian life. This will include advice and support on housing matters. The MOD will also be covered by the new Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) led statutory requirement scheduled to come into effect this autumn to refer those Service personnel at risk of homelessness when they leave the Armed Forces to the relevant local authority. The MHCLG has also extended the period within which veterans are given priority for Government funded shared ownership schemes, from 12 to 24 months after service. Support is also available from Veterans UK who operate a Freephone helpline (0808 1914218), and the Veterans Welfare Service. The Veterans Gateway can also signpost individuals to the organisation best placed to support, making it easier for veterans to access advice on a range of issues, including housing.
The cross-Government Rough Sleeping Strategy is focused on achieving a commitment to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it by 2027.