Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reasons his Department took seven years to respond to freedom of information request entitled FCO 37/3979 Training of the Sri Lankan military in the UK.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) received a request for access to information held on file reference FCO 37/3979 in June 2018. A response was issued four months later in October 2018. The material in question is subject to ongoing legal proceedings under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We cannot comment on ongoing legal cases.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the purpose is of Project HEZUK; and whether that project (a) is ongoing or (b) has been discontinued.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has a number of active and retired project names, I will not comment further for security reasons.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had meetings to discuss Palestine Action since July 2024.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Home Office ministers regularly meet with officials to discuss the safety and security of the public.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason Ministers in her Department met with Elbit Systems on 16 December 2024.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
No ministers have met Elbit Systems on 16th December 2024.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which company was awarded the contract for Coastal Radar Data Integration, advertised on 26 September 2023.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
No contract was awarded as result of the notice posted on 26 September 2023.
During the tendering process the Authority made the decision that the procurement would not achieve the requirement outcome and ended the procurement. The Authority is now in the process of reviewing its requirements and options for the future.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) purpose, (b) strength and (c) budget is of the British Support Team in Ramallah.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As part of our commitment to stability in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the UK provides the Palestinian Authority with professional support in helping develop capable and responsible security institutions that respect human rights and are accountable to the Palestinian people.
Support to the Palestinian Authority Security Forces is paid for by Ministry of Defence core funds and the UK's Integrated Security Fund (ISF). The amount spent by the UK's ISF in the Financial Year 2024-25 will be published in due course in the respective ISF annual review of 2024-25.
The number of personnel is being withheld in order to protect the security of those personnel and to avoid prejudicing international relations.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK-supplied Challenger tanks being deployed by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia are equipped with shells containing depleted uranium.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We have sent thousands of rounds of Challenger 2 ammunition to Ukraine, including depleted uranium armour-piercing rounds. For operational security reasons, we will not comment on Ukrainian usage rates for the rounds provided.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the UK last supplied Ukraine with tank shells containing depleted uranium.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We have sent thousands of rounds of Challenger 2 ammunition to Ukraine, including depleted uranium armour-piercing rounds. For operational security reasons, we will not comment on Ukrainian usage rates for the rounds provided.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where his Department has recently published information about the British Support Team Ramallah.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has not published information about the British Support Team in Ramallah.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29341 on Ministry of Defence: Israel, which Israeli officials visited his Department on 5 February 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Brigadier General Yaval Harel, Israeli Air Force Head of Personnel Division, led an Israeli Air Force delegation of nine personnel as part of a three-day HR-focussed visit to the UK.