Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what further action they plan to take to protect members of the security forces from vexatious court proceedings.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government brought in The Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Act 2021, which reduces the uncertainty faced by our Service personnel and veterans in relation to historical allegations and claims arising from overseas operations. This legislation provides a better legal framework for dealing with allegations or claims from any future overseas conflicts. The Government is committed to ensuring our Service personnel and veterans have access to the legal protections they deserve.
We are acutely aware of the individual human impact that historical investigations can place on those affected by them, and we are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of all Service personnel.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they are taking to encourage other countries to provide urgent military equipment to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The UK continues to galvanise support from the international community. We have worked closely with allies and partners to ensure that Ukrainian Armed Forces requirements are met at pace. The Defence Secretary has hosted two international donor conferences to coordinate aid from 35 partner nations and, via strong participation in the International Donor Coordination Centre, the UK continues to enable support to Ukraine from across the world.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Poland about the provision of tanks and helicopters to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Poland joined the UK at the 2nd International Defence Donors' Conference for Ukraine on 31 March, which was convened by the Secretary of State. The decisions taken at the Conference will see the international community stepping up and increasing the co-ordination of military support to Ukraine.
The Government is now working with Poland, the US and other Allies and partners to co-ordinate the provision of longer-term international support according to Ukrainian requirements, including the provision of air and coastal defence systems, longer-range artillery and counter battery capabilities, armoured vehicles as well as wider training and logistical support.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of Army applicants are from residents of Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The percentage of Regular Army applications in the calendar year 2020 which provided a Northern Ireland residence as the home address was 1.8%. This figure has been provided by Analysis Army and has been defined as an online application submitted by an individual and accepted by the Defence Recruitment System.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Taliban fighters killed Afghan commandos who had surrendered.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
We strongly condemn such egregious actions perpetrated by the Taliban. While we recognise that the current security situation is serious, we do not believe there is any military solution to this conflict. The Taliban must engage in meaningful dialogue with the Afghan government, to enable a political solution to ensure lasting peace. We will continue to work closely with international and regional partners to support Afghan peace efforts, including through diplomatic support and technical advice.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when legislation will be introduced to protect soldiers from vexatious prosecutions.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Government has delivered the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel & Veterans) Act 2021 (the Act), which delivers on the 2019 manifesto commitment to tackle the vexatious legal claims that undermine our Armed Forces.
The measures of the Act provide reassurance to our Service personnel and veterans that, where an investigation into historical allegations of wrongdoing is referred to the prosecutor for a decision on whether to prosecute, the unique circumstances of overseas operations will be taken into account in their considerations.
The Government has been clear it will introduce a separate legacy package for Northern Ireland that delivers better outcomes for victims, survivors and veterans, focuses on information recovery and reconciliation, and ends the cycle of investigations. The MOD continues to work with the NIO to ensure that the legacy package delivers on the commitments made to Northern Ireland veterans. Government is committed to bringing forward legislation as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Armed Forces Covenant is fully implemented in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Armed Forces Covenant applies throughout the U.K. but delivery is shaped by local and regional factors and jurisdictions. The Government is making good progress in delivering the Covenant in Northern Ireland, where unique circumstances require a different approach to be taken from the rest of the U.K.
For example, last year Danny Kinahan was appointed as Northern Ireland’s first Veterans Commissioner, to act as a voice and advocate for veterans; additional funding has been secured for the Veterans’ Support Office in Northern Ireland to assist in delivery of the Covenant at ground level; and projects in Northern Ireland received over £1.6million last year from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s £10million per year fund for initiatives across the U.K. that support the Armed Forces Community.
The Ministry of Defence’s review into the Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Irish (Home Service) Aftercare Service (NI ACS) has begun. It is currently considering whether the remit of the Service should be widened to cover all Her Majesty’s Forces veterans living in Northern Ireland with service-related injuries and conditions. The review is due to conclude in March 2022.
Finally, the Government is further incorporating the Armed Forces Covenant into law, in the Armed Forces Bill 2021, and this will apply across the U.K., including in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect Afghan interpreters that have served British Forces following the planned withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan in September.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Government is strongly committed to fulfilling its responsibilities to current and former locally employed staff in Afghanistan. That is why we developed a new Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which launched on 1 April 2021. It acknowledges and reflects the fact that the situation in Afghanistan has changed, and with it the potential risk to current and former Locally Employed Staff who worked for the UK Government over the past twenty years. Under the new scheme, any current or former Locally Employed Staff who are assessed to be under serious threat [to life] will be offered priority relocation to the UK regardless of their employment status, rank or role, or length of time served. And local staff who have worked in roles which could have exposed their identities and placed them at risk of reprisals will be relocated to the UK by default. We will continue to monitor events in Afghanistan closely to ensure the implementation of this policy reflects the changing security situation.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people from Northern Ireland applied to join the British Army in each of the last three years.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The number of applications to join the Army from Northern Ireland over the last three years is as follows:
Northern Ireland | |||
2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 (to 28 February) | |
Regular | 1,720 | 1,810 | 1,840 |
Reserve | 1,200 | 1,030 | 1,450 |
Since the Recruit Partnering Project between the Army and Capita started operations in April 2013, applications have been carried out online and processed centrally. In order to align data for the years in question to the geographical boundaries of Northern Ireland the postcodes of candidates have been used. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military and aviation personnel worked in his Department in each of the last five years.
Answered by Anna Soubry
Information on the strength of UK Armed Forces is published in the Ministry of Defence's Quarterly Personnel Report (QPR). The latest issue, published on 12 February 2015, includes information as at 1 January 2015; Table 5a provides a breakdown by Service as at 1 April in each year since 2011 and also includes data from 1 October 2014 and 1 January 2015. The QPR can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/402633/quarterly_personnel_report_jan15.pdf