Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Royal Air Force Regiment was not deployed to support the evacuation operation in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Ministry of Defence deploys the appropriate unit to each operation dependent on a number of factors. These include readiness, capability and the required task, as well taking into account current commitments. Consequently, elements from the RAF Regiment were deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation PITTING.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which Royal Navy ship will undertake future tasks of the type that HMS Ocean undertook in the relief efforts following Hurricane Irene.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Depending on the nature of the disaster relief efforts required, the Government can call on the versatile and highly capable ships of the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. These ships can deliver life-saving assistance and supplies in response to natural or man-made disasters around the world.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when relief aircraft at RAF Brize Norton were ordered to be loaded up to fly to the disaster zone affected by Hurricane Irma.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
On 6 September 2017 RAF Brize Norton was notified of the potential requirement to provide humanitarian relief flights and on 7 September the station was tasked to prepare those flights.
Having identified and prioritised the relief stores required and established which runways remained open following Hurricane Irma's impact, the first aircraft were loaded and dispatched from RAF Brize Norton on 8 September, reaching the Caribbean that night.
The Ministry of Defence is providing significant support to the relief efforts in the Caribbean following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) MOUNTS BAY was pre-positioned in the region and loaded with aid precisely so we could respond to hurricane damage. So far 60 tonnes of much needed humanitarian aid has been distributed across the region by air. HMS OCEAN arrived in the British Virgin Islands on Friday 22 September with a further 60 tonnes of aid and is helping to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and engineering tasks.
UK military personnel will continue to provide immediate support after Hurricane Maria has passed. Defence activity will remain under constant review and we will continue to work with local authorities to establish what is required.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when RAF Brize Norton was informed of the impact of Hurricane Irma and of the need for relief flights.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
On 6 September 2017 RAF Brize Norton was notified of the potential requirement to provide humanitarian relief flights and on 7 September the station was tasked to prepare those flights.
Having identified and prioritised the relief stores required and established which runways remained open following Hurricane Irma's impact, the first aircraft were loaded and dispatched from RAF Brize Norton on 8 September, reaching the Caribbean that night.
The Ministry of Defence is providing significant support to the relief efforts in the Caribbean following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) MOUNTS BAY was pre-positioned in the region and loaded with aid precisely so we could respond to hurricane damage. So far 60 tonnes of much needed humanitarian aid has been distributed across the region by air. HMS OCEAN arrived in the British Virgin Islands on Friday 22 September with a further 60 tonnes of aid and is helping to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and engineering tasks.
UK military personnel will continue to provide immediate support after Hurricane Maria has passed. Defence activity will remain under constant review and we will continue to work with local authorities to establish what is required.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the complement of disaster relief equipment carried by Royal Fleet Auxiliary Mount Bay; and in particular, how many (1) helicopters, (2) tractors, (3) bulldozers, (4) other vehicles, and (5) items of heavy lifting equipment are being carried.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) MOUNTS BAY is currently carrying the following equipment while conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the Caribbean:
1 Wildcat helicopter
1 Mexflote raft
1 Combat support boat
2 Pacific 24 rigid inflatable boats
2 Inflatable raiding crafts
2 Medium wheeled tractors
2 Support Vehicles (15 tonne)
1 Rough terrain forklift
1 Light wheeled tractor
2 Quad bikes with trailers
2 Pinzgauer soft top all-terrain vehicles
1 Self loading dump truck
2 Bandvagn 206D flatbeds
1 Support Vehicle (six tonne)
1 Land Rover & trailer
1 King Trailer
This amounts to one helicopter, four tractors, zero bulldozers, 15 other vehicles and three items of heavy lifting equipment.
HMS OCEAN is also due to arrive in the region by 23 September with three Wildcat, four Merlin and two Chinook helicopters and 60 tonnes of Department for International Development supplies onboard to assist with the longer-term recovery effort. HMS OCEAN will be deployed according to need once Hurricane Maria has passed.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many HM Forces personnel are serving in Afghanistan; and whether any further deployments are scheduled.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The UK contributes around 500 personnel to the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, which includes the uplift announced at the NATO Warsaw summit in July 2016. The UK has a long term commitment to Afghanistan and continues to review its contribution to ensure it is optimally resourced.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 750 military personnel sent to Sierra Leone have full life insurance cover.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
It is ultimately a matter for individual Service Personnel whether they choose to purchase personal accident and/or life insurance cover.
However, the Department recognises that we also have a duty of care to ensure that personal accident and life insurance cover is available to those service personnel who consider they require it. The Ministry of Defence therefore has a contract with Aon Ltd for a Personal Accident and Optional Life and Critical Illness Insurance, named PAX. A separate contract for Life insurance, named SLI365, is in place, managed by Willis Ltd and underwritten by Sterling Insurance Group. The cover which these schemes provide is voluntary and separate from the benefits provided by the Government. It is also possible that Service Personnel may have secured accident cover/life insurance through other means.
Separately, the Ministry of Defence provides compensation for personnel injured due to service through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.