Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to re-join the EUFOR peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the event that the mandate for that force is extended in November 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
Operation EUFOR Althea remains vital to Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) peace and security and the UK will support its mandate renewal in the UN Security Council in November. We continue to support security and stability in BiH through our contributions to NATO HQ in Sarajevo and through an extensive programme of bilateral support to the BiH Armed Forces.
We will keep the UK position on re-joining EUFOR under review - this would require approval from all EU member states.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with (a) NATO allies and (b) Cabinet colleagues on the sale of military jets to Serbia in the context of the (i) level of risk of escalation in Bosnia and (ii) failure of Serbia to sanction Russia.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government carefully considers its support to Defence exports given the range of opportunities they can provide to support the UK industrial base and expand our global economic and security partnerships. Export licences are granted only in accordance with the UK’s robust Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider the possible impact of providing equipment and capabilities. We do not issue licences where we determine there is a clear risk that the items would, overall, undermine peace and security.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has had discussions with NATO allies on the sale of military jets to Serbia; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the (i) level of risk of escalation in Bosnia and (ii) implications for its policies of the absence of Serbian sanctions against Russia in the context of that matter.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government carefully considers its support to Defence exports given the range of opportunities they can provide to support the UK industrial base and expand our global economic and security partnerships. Export licences are granted only in accordance with the UK’s robust Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider the possible impact of providing equipment and capabilities. We do not issue licences where we determine there is a clear risk that the items would, overall, undermine peace and security.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Hikvision CCTV, or other surveillance software or equipment from Hikvision, is used on any property owned or administered by his Department.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As has been the case under successive Governments, it is not Defence policy to comment on the security arrangements of our establishments and sites. Specific details regarding the make and model of security systems are withheld on national security grounds.