Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any UK armed forces in Kosovo; and if so, whether they are within a NATO or EU armed presence.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The UK routinely contributes 41 personnel to NATO's KFOR mission, including an important contribution to KFOR’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability. Additionally, a defence advisor and a non-resident Defence Attaché support our bilateral relationship with Kosovo.
Following a request from Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and as outlined in the Gov.uk press release published on 1 October 2023, the UK will also deploy the Strategic Reserve Force held at readiness in the UK. Around 200 soldiers from 1st Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment will join the 400-strong British contingent already in country as part of an annual exercise.
This follows on from the violent attack on Kosovo Police in northern Kosovo on 24 September and increasing tensions in the region.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government in which countries members of the UK defence forces serve as part of a United Nations presence.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The UK deploys peacekeepers to contingent deployments in the United Nations Force in Cyprus and to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali. We deploy a contingent to the UN Support Office in Somalia, and Military Staff Officers and experts to Cyprus, Mali, South Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Libya, South Korea and the UN Headquarters in New York.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of deploying British armed forces personnel to Northern Ireland in response to the opposition to the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The policing of all public order and protest events within Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI). The UK Government will continue to work closely with the PSNI. The safety and security of Northern Ireland remains our key commitment. Further policing support required by them would be provided via mutual aid support from other UK police forces. Defence would only provide support following a request from the PSNI via the well-established MACA (mutual aid to civil authority) process once mutual aid from other police forces had been exhausted, or if the support requested required niche capability not held by police forces within the UK. Defence has not received any request from PSNI to support them in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol. Until such a request is made by the PSNI no assessment or planning on this issue will be undertaken by the MOD.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) men, and (2) women, are serving full-time in the British army.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
As at 1 April 2019, there were 75,230 male and 7,540 female personnel in the full-time trade-trained strength and their untrained counterparts. This population does not include full-time Reserves Service (Home Commitment), Military Provost Guard Service and non-regular permanent staff, of which there are an additional 4,960 male and 260 female personnel.
Full-time trade-trained strength includes Regulars, Gurkhas, and full-time Reserves Service (Full Commitment and Limited Commitment). Mobilised Reserves have not been included in the data, as these are only full-time whilst mobilised. Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) men, and (2) women, are in the British army.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
As at 1 April 2019, there were 74,940 male and 7,510 female personnel in the Regular Army and Gurkha population, and 25,400 male and 4,060 female personnel in the Army Reserve.
Notes/Caveats:
The Figures are for trained and untrained Regular and Gurkha personnel excluding Full Time Reserve Service.
Reserve figures are taken from the FR20 population consisting of Group A Army Reserves, some Sponsored Reserves and those personnel serving on FTRS contracts who were previously Army Reservists.
Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people there are in the Army Reserve in (1) Wales, (2) Scotland, (3) Northern Ireland, and (4) England.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
As at 1 April 2019, there were an estimated 1,720 Reserve personnel stationed in Wales, 4,140 in Scotland, 1,950 in Northern Ireland and 21,440 in England.
These figures are based on stationed locations, and not on residence or nationality.
Figures are taken from the Future Reserve 2020 population, which consists of Group A Army Reserves, some Sponsored Reserves and those personnel serving on Full Time Reserve Service contracts who were previously Army Reservists.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding on the enhancement of defence and security co-operation between the United Kingdom and Republic of Cyprus; and if so, (1) why a new memorandum was required; (2) whether the Turkish Cypriot community was consulted; and (3) how it varies from existing arrangements.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
A Defence and Security Co-operation Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus was signed in London on 4 April 2019. The British High Commission in Nicosia informed the Turkish Cypriot community in advance of the signing. The main purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding is to place the defence relationship on a more permanent and enduring basis. It will build on the existing annual Bilateral Defence Co-operation Programme to enable closer co-operation across a range of areas of mutual benefit. Planned activities include cyber defence and security, crisis management, exercising and training, and maritime security. Other areas of co-operation will include joint planning, Search and Rescue and officer education.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether UK troops are now present in Misrata, Libya.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Part of our support to the political process in Libya includes providing military and diplomatic advisers. We cannot go into detail about these engagements for security reasons.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to releasing parts of one or both of the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus to facilitate a political settlement on the island.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The UK will continue to support the efforts of President Anastasiades and Mr Akinci to reunite Cyprus through a just and lasting settlement. The UK has made a generous offer that, as part of a comprehensive settlement, we will cede a significant proportion of the land mass of the Sovereign Base Areas. However, the Sovereign Base Areas continue to have a significant operational value for defence that is expected to endure for the long term.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to abandoning one or both of the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus to facilitate a political settlement on the island.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The UK will continue to support the efforts of President Anastasiades and Mr Akinci to reunite Cyprus through a just and lasting settlement. The UK has made a generous offer that, as part of a comprehensive settlement, we will cede a significant proportion of the land mass of the Sovereign Base Areas. However, the Sovereign Base Areas continue to have a significant operational value for defence that is expected to endure for the long term.