Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the resumption of inquests into deaths at Loughgall in 1987.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As the Secretary of State has already said today in this House, he is working closely with the Northern Ireland Secretary on policy proposals in relation to the Legacy Act, including to ensure that we discharge our duty to Veterans.
We must find a way forward for the Armed Forces, and the wider NI community, who have been abandoned because of the previous Government’s failure to get this right.
The Legacy Act was found to be unlawful, was not supported by any of the main political parties in Northern Ireland and was built on false promises to our Veterans.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated value is of each his Department's sites in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The market value of a Ministry of Defence site is normally only assessed when a site is due for disposal. Valuations are not released as to do so could prejudice commercial interests.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether (a) people from Northern Ireland and (b) other people with dual citizenship are barred from taking up positions within the UK with (a) BAE Systema Submarines and (b) the Atomic Weapons Establishment and (c) other defence contractors carrying out contracts for his Department.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Ministry of Defence is obligated under the Government’s Security Policy Framework to ensure personnel with access to sensitive information are appropriately vetted. We pass on this obligation to our contractors through relevant contractual security conditions which restrict the transfer of SECRET and above SECRET information to employees who hold the right level of security clearance where this is required for the role.
British citizens who hold dual nationality are in principle eligible for employment by the Ministry of Defence and its defence contractors subject to achieving the appropriate level of security clearance. Due to the sensitive nature of the work concerned or International Treaty obligations there are circumstances in which dual nationals cannot be employed. This is likely to include posts within BAE Systems and AWE.