Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the strength is of each (a) English, (b) Scottish, (c) Welsh, (d) Irish and (e) Gurkha battalion.
Answered by James Heappey
The table below shows the Trade Trained Regular strength of English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish Infantry and Royal Armoured Corps regiments, and Infantry Gurkha strength as at 1 January 2021.
English | 10,440 |
Scottish | 3,060 |
Welsh | 1,540 |
Irish | 1,080 |
Royal Gurkha Rifles | 1,690 |
Table notes:
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2020 to Question 6631, for what reasons his Department does not extract DNA from the remains of unidentified British soldiers found on former battlefields.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does extract DNA from the remains of some unidentified British soldiers found on former battlefields. Due to the cost of DNA extraction and processing, MOD only recover DNA from historic casualties where it has been possible to draw up a list of potential candidates from other evidence, such as artefacts found with the remains, and analysis of casualty and unit records. The list of potential candidates makes it feasible to carry out the subsequent genealogical research to identify possible next of kin. Only where that subsequent research reveals a potential donor with whom to compare the recovered sample, is DNA used as part of the identity confirmation process.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has (a) extracted DNA from the remains of unidentified British soldiers found on former battlefields and share (b) that DNA with ancestry companies to find matches with subscribers of those companies.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
The Ministry of Defence has not extracted DNA from fallen soldiers to share with ancestry companies.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what infrastructure and dredging will be required at the facilities at South Mole in Gibraltar to enable the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers to load (a) life support cargo, (b) fuel supplies and (c) munitions directly from the dock side.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Development)
As part of forward planning for the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers, the Royal Navy continues to review ports that would be accessible to these ships. This process includes the infrastructure requirements at South Mole in Gibraltar.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to return the funds owed to the government of Iran for the purchase of Chieftain tanks through International Military Services which were never delivered.
Answered by Philip Dunne
This matter is being handled by International Military Services Limited (IMS). Negotiations are commerically sensitive and a confidentital matter between IMS and the Iranians.
The UK Government does not dispute the outcome of court hearings on this matter, but the current EU sanctions against the Iranian Ministry of Defence remain in force.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the amount owed by the Government to the government of Iran for Chieftain tanks bought by that government but never delivered; and if he will take steps to return that amount to the government of Iran.
Answered by Philip Dunne
This matter is being handled by International Military Services Limited (IMS). Negotiations are commerically sensitive and a confidentital matter between IMS and the Iranians.
The UK Government does not dispute the outcome of court hearings on this matter, but the current EU sanctions against the Iranian Ministry of Defence remain in force.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether funds were received into the public purse from the sale of the same Chieftain tanks to Iraq which had already been sold through International Military Services but never delivered to the government of Iran.
Answered by Philip Dunne
No records are held of Chieftain tanks being sold to the Government of Iraq.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the use during the Iran-Iraq war of Chieftain tanks sold by the UK to the government of Iraq; and whether those tanks had previously been purchased by the government of Iran.
Answered by Philip Dunne
No records are held of Chieftain tanks being sold to the Government of Iraq.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Chieftain tanks sold to the government of Iran but which remained undelivered were later sold to the government of Iraq.
Answered by Philip Dunne
No records are held of Chieftain tanks being sold to the Government of Iraq.
Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide field surgical teams for the Peshmerga Regional Government.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The UK keeps its contribution to the Global Counter-Daesh Coalition in Iraq (including the Kurdish region) under review with wider Coalition partners, but has no plans to deploy a field hospital to the region. Any such deployment would need to be carefully balanced against medical commitments to current and future planned operations.