Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the number of ARAP applications from former members of the (a) Afghan Territorial Force 444 and (b) Commando Force 333 units that have been approved since the scheme opened.
Answered by James Heappey
As of 28 November 2023, we have relocated 13,300 ARAP Eligible Principals (EPs) and their family members to safety in the UK under the ARAP scheme and have approximately 6,000 eligible persons and family members remaining to relocate to the UK. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of these figures by job role or specific unit.
Not all members of the Afghan Armed Forces, including specific units such as Afghan Territorial Force 444 and Commando Force 333, will automatically be eligible for ARAP. Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis on its own merits. However, we are prioritising finding remaining eligible applicants and relocating them as quickly as we can.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which of his Department's sites are being considered for use as asylum accommodation in the future.
Answered by James Heappey
In 2020 Defence made available Napier Barracks in Kent to the Home Office to provide additional asylum accommodation capacity and this is expected to continue until 2025. In December 2021, in response to a further request for estate to enable processing of cross-channel migrants, Defence made available the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre at Manston, Kent. Defence is currently in the process of finalising a Memorandum of Transfer of Occupation which will enable the Home Office to occupy RAF Linton-on-Ouse in order to provide additional asylum accommodation capacity.
The Home Office has not made any further requests for MOD sites beyond those mentioned above.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether sites in his Department's estate were considered alongside RAF Linton-on-Ouse for use as an asylum accommodation site.
Answered by James Heappey
In response to a request from the Home Office to examine whether Defence sites could be utilised to provide additional asylum accommodation capacity, the MOD undertook a review of the Defence estate to identify potential options. In order to minimise the operational impact to Defence, this review focused on transit and training sites and those sites due to be disposed of in the coming years, which included RAF Linton-on-Ouse. A number of other sites were considered and discounted.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will (a) provide details of and (b) publish any agreement his Department has reached with the Home Office to enable the site at Linton-on-Ouse to be used as asylum accommodation.
Answered by James Heappey
The Home Office will assume occupation of RAF Linton-on-Ouse under a Memorandum of Transfer of Occupation (MOTO) which is a commonly used method of making estate owned by one Department available to another. There are currently no plans to publish this MOTO once finalised.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who the owner or tenant is of the site at RAF Linton-on-Ouse; and whether that site has recently been sold or rented.
Answered by James Heappey
RAF Linton-on-Ouse, established in 1937, is part of the Defence estate. Flying operations ceased there in 2020. Following an assessment that there was no long-term military requirement for RAF Linton-on-Ouse, the MOD commenced drawing down the site as part of already announced plans to release the site by the end of 2023.
As announced by the Government on 14 April 2022, the Home Office are due to assume occupation of RAF Linton-on-Ouse under a Memorandum of Transfer of Occupation to establish a reception centre for asylum seekers.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many units of living accommodation for MOD staff and families are currently unoccupied.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As of 6 September 2021, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently has 9,700 vacant Service Family accommodation (SFA) properties in the UK.
This figure represents a snapshot in time as the occupancy rate varies on a daily basis. It includes SFA required to manage expected service personnel moves, properties awaiting modernisation and properties required for disposal.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to respond to the letter of 4 April 2019 from the hon. Member for Glasgow Central on behalf of veterans in Scotland.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Rt Hon the Earl Howe responded to the hon. Member on 7 May 2019. A copy of the letter has been emailed to the hon. Member.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2017 to Question 66499, on Egypt: armed forces, how many of those service personnel are involved in operation in Yemen.
Answered by Mike Penning
None of the Service personnel stationed in Egypt are involved in operations in Yemen. Three are based in the Defence Section in the British Embassy in Cairo delivering UK Defence Engagement with Egypt, and two are deployed with the Multinational Force and Observers peacekeeping organisation in the Sinai, which exists to monitor the terms of the 1979 Treaty of the Peace between Egypt and Israel and continues to make an important contribution to peace and stability in the Sinai.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Question 66440, how many of those service personnel are involved in operations in Yemen.
Answered by Mike Penning
The UK is not a member of the Saudi-led Coalition and British military personnel are not directly involved in the Saudi-led Coalition's operations in Yemen.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel of each service of the armed forces are stationed in Egypt.
Answered by Mike Penning
There are five UK Armed Forces personnel stationed in Egypt, one Royal Navy, three Army and one RAF. Three are based in the Defence Section in the British Embassy in Cairo and two are deployed with the Multinational Force and Observers peacekeeping organisation in Sinai.