Asked by: Lord Soley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action will be taken by the captain of any British ship operating under the auspices of NATO in the Aegean Sea if they identify a migrant or refugee boat in Greek waters.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Royal Navy assets deployed in support of NATO's activity in the Aegean Sea will conduct reconnaissance and surveillance of illegal crossings. Migrant boats identified will, in the first instance, be reported to the Turkish and Greek coastguards and the EU Frontex mission for interdiction. However, if a migrant vessel was in distress, the Royal Navy ship would provide assistance, in accordance with international obligations.
Asked by: Lord Soley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the commander of the NATO operation against people smuggling in the Aegean Sea will have a liaison officer from Frontex with the fleet, and if not, what liaison will take place between that operation and Frontex and other EU border or coastguard agencies.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
NATO and Frontex are finalising joint working and information sharing arrangements, which might include the deployment of Frontex Liaison Officers on board NATO ships. NATO is coordinating at the tactical level with the Turkish and Greek coastguards, and the NATO command ship already has Turkish and Greek military liaison officers on board.
Asked by: Lord Soley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there have been any Russian submarine activities within United Kingdom territorial waters over the past two years; and if so, where.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
I am not prepared to comment on intelligence matters or to disclose the detail of maritime operations as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.