Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have banned Israeli students from attending the Royal College of Defence Studies because they consider Israel to have committed war crimes in Gaza.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
UK military educational courses have long been open to personnel from a wide range of countries, with all UK military courses emphasising compliance with international humanitarian law.
However, the Israeli Government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong. There must be a diplomatic solution to end this war now, with an immediate ceasefire, the return of the hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. We have therefore paused future Israeli participation in UK-run courses.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comments by Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, that there is a likely future scenario where the oceans are “effectively transparent and submarines are no longer allowed to hide”.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We recognise that there are increasing threats to maritime security, including the underwater battlespace, from technological change and the proliferation of advanced capabilities. Assessments of these threats directly inform how we pursue technological advancements across all domains, including in the way we design, build and operate our submarines, to ensure the effectiveness of our capabilities in complex and challenging environments.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to develop battlefield nuclear weapons.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It will remain the case that none of the UK’s nuclear weapons are designed for tactical use during a conflict.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of submarine personnel to crew the continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent currently and in future years.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy has successfully maintained Operation RELENTLESS – the Continuous At Sea Deterrent – without interruption for over 56 years. We do not disclose details of the operation, including the duration of time spent at sea, as such information could be used to undermine the security and capability of the mission and our personnel.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are satisfied that UK military bases in the Middle East, particularly RAF Akrotiri, have appropriate protection.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We take the security of all our bases overseas seriously and take appropriate measures for their protection. This process is continually kept under review.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much was spent by the Ministry of Defence on consultancies in the last year for which figures are available, and in each of the preceding four years.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The table below gives the overall expenditure on consultancies in the last five financial years by the Ministry of Defence, On Vote Agencies, Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies and Other Bodies (such as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Royal Hospital Chelsea, the Reserve Forces and Cadet Associations and International Military Services Ltd.).
Financial Year | Consultancy Expenditure (£million) |
2019-20 | 98.080 |
2020-21 | 109.668 |
2021-22 | 134.942 |
2022-23 | 149.105 |
2023-24 | 86.276 |
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civilians are currently employed by the Ministry of Defence; and how many civilians have been employed by the Ministry of Defence in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On 1 April 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian personnel headcount was 63,702.
The below table show the MOD civilian personnel headcount for the past five years, as at 1 April.
Year, as at 1 April | Civilian personnel headcount |
2020 | 60,256 |
2021 | 62,039 |
2022 | 61,895 |
2023 | 62,652 |
2024 | 63,702 |
This data excludes Non-Departmental Public Bodies, Short-Term Employees and Contractors.
Statistics on the number of civilian personnel employed by the MOD by both headcount and FTE are published by the Office for National Statistics on gov.uk at the following link:
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by The Earl of Minto on 9 April (HL3588), whether they will now answer the question put, namely whether they were invited to participate in the Main Ground Combat System programme.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Interest in the Observer Status request was recognised by both nations. The next step will involve France and Germany convening a conference for prospective 'observers' to discuss administrative procedures before any formal invitation is made to adopt this status. No decision has yet been made regarding full participation in the Main Ground Combat System programme.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they were invited to participate in the recently announced Franco-German Main Ground Combat System which is intended to jointly provide a successor tank to the Leopard and Leclerc.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has requested observer status for the Main Ground Combat System programme.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the comments by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 14 January, and by the Secretary of State for Defence on 15 January, regarding global instability and possible conflicts, what immediate improvements they plan to make to national defence capabilities.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Defence Command Paper 2023 (DCP23) set out how the Armed Forces and wider Defence would modernise and adapt to the changing context. We are investing over £50 billion in Defence to ensure we can protect the nation and help it prosper. We will continue to review our holdings of all essential expendable items, and will invest in such capabilities as complex weapons, general munitions, and operational spares stocks to meet the needs of sustained operations.
As DCP23 set out, strengthening our resilience is critical. That is why we will continue to work with our partners across Government to identify vulnerabilities and test how we would better secure and defend the homeland in times of war.