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Written Question
Ukraine: Military Aid
Wednesday 20th March 2024

Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on joining Czechia's artillery ammunition purchasing initiative to help support Ukraine.

Answered by James Heappey

The Secretary of State regularly holds discussions with his Cabinet colleagues on the war in Ukraine and how we can continue to best support Ukraine going forward. As a NATO ally, we also engage directly with Czechia on matters of international security.

The UK remains fully engaged with the international capability coalitions and numerous other partners to understand where further opportunities may exist to increase our support to Ukraine. To date the UK has provided over 300,000 artillery shells to Ukraine, and has committed to delivering tens of thousands more this financial year (FY), and a further investment of £245 million on artillery ammunition in FY 2024-25.


Written Question
Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Labour Turnover and Recruitment
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure retention and recruitment of staff for Royal Navy support ships.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Recruitment and retention of staff are a priority for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and there are a number of initiatives underway in support of this.

For recruitment, the RFA is fostering relationships with universities and colleges to raise awareness of the opportunities available, planning to launch a graduate engineer scheme, sponsoring academic top up schemes to attract newly qualified engineers, and introducing a mechanism for seamless transfer to the RFA for Royal Navy (RN) service leavers. In addition to this work, the RFA plans to release a focused RFA recruitment marketing campaign.

For retention, the RFA is undertaking a number of initiatives which include: enhancing human resources management with more efficient, digitised processes for claims and reporting; maximising development opportunities; enabling participation in team building and physical activities; introducing a dedicated wellbeing team and creating new and exciting shore posts.


Written Question
Veterans: Identity Cards
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the visual quality of images on Armed Forces Veteran Cards.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The image used on the Armed Forces Veteran Cards is provided by the individual themselves and, similarly to passport applications, detailed guidance on image standards is provided within the application process. All images are checked before printing to ensure that the photograph is appropriate and that a good likeness can be established.

Of the 67,335 Phase 2 cards issued since the new digital application and verification service launched on 28 January 2024, a small percentage were misprinted due to printer error. The causes of the misprints have been identified and are being addressed. These errors are well within levels expected from a new, high volume, automated process which delivers significant cost savings for the taxpayer.

The automation of printing and enveloping means that printed cards are not individually checked before despatch. However, any card reported as poorly printed on receipt is investigated and a new card is printed and sent directly to the individual.


Written Question
Ukraine: Military Aid
Monday 26th February 2024

Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to (a) identify, (b) procure and (c) supply additional military aid for Ukraine.

Answered by James Heappey

The UK liaises closely with the Ukrainian Government to understand their military needs, as the conflict continues to evolve.

The UK uses a wide range of sourcing mechanisms to procure the military equipment that Ukraine most requires. This includes our own acquisition systems and international mechanisms, such as the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine, which uses financial contributions from international partners to procure priority equipment for Ukraine. We supply this through a range of national and international, military and civilian supply routes with and through the International Donor Coordination Centre.

Our objective is to catalyse international support to meet the scale of the challenge being faced by Ukraine and the Defence Secretary recently announced that in addition to our co-lead of the Maritime Capability Coalition the UK will, with Latvia, co-lead a major drone capability coalition for Ukraine. We have also brought together 15 nations to sign an agreement on two multinational procurement initiatives covering munitions and missiles.


Written Question
Veterans: Identity Cards
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the rollout of the Veteran's ID Card.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Veterans' Recognition Scheme has a two-phase rollout. Phase 1 is complete, with all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receiving a HM Armed Forces Veteran Card as part of their discharge process. As of July 2023, phase 1 has delivered over 71,000 cards to Service leavers. Phase 2 aims to extend access to the recognition card scheme to veterans who left their Service before December 2018. Continued progress has been made towards the launch of a new digital verification service, which is currently undergoing testing, to enable the phase 2 rollout.

With around 2 million veterans in the UK, we are focused on building the technology and processes to deal with large volumes of card applications accurately and securely. We expect to begin issuing cards to veterans later this year. A paper-based application process will also be made available for veterans who are unable to use the online service.


Written Question
Armed Forces: Pay
Monday 26th June 2023

Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of pay for the armed forces’ (a) morale and (b) recruitment.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The motivations of individuals choosing to join or remain in the Armed Forces are unique to each person and will be influenced by several considerations. Pay forms part of a wider remuneration package which includes a non-contributory pension, subsidised accommodation, wraparound childcare, incremental pay, and a range of allowances on top of basic salary. The non-financial aspects of the offer are also highly valued.

Looking forward, we received the latest report from the independent Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body (AFPRB) on 26 May. We will be publishing it and announcing our response to their recommendations before the Summer Recess.


Written Question
Afghanistan: Refugees
Tuesday 7th March 2023

Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department have made of the potential merits of establishing a process to review unsuccessful Additional Family Member decisions within the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy when additional evidence is made available by applicants.

Answered by James Heappey

The Ministry of Defence does recognise the potential merits of a reviews process for unsuccessful Additional Family Members applications in association with the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme.

We are currently considering these and will provide an update in due course.


Written Question
Ukraine: Military Aid
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2022 to Question 37532 on Ukraine: Military Aid, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy on the inclusion of training in the Murad Code within the training provided to Ukrainian defence personnel of the speech by the First Lady of Ukraine to Parliament on 29 November 2022.

Answered by James Heappey

The Ministry of Defence recognises the important role that militaries can play in tackling and responding to Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). At the FCDO Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) international conference on 28 November 2022, the MOD committed to reviewing how the Murad Code could be integrated into the work of UK Defence. There are important factors to consider when providing guidance to militaries with the Murad Code. These need to be sufficiently considered and understood to ensure that the most appropriate actor is collecting and handling evidence and information on CRSV in any given context and that there is no risk of further harm to survivors. Specific training on the Murad Code is not currently being provided to Ukrainian defence personnel. Training provided to Ukrainian defence personnel through Operation INTERFLEX does include sessions on Human Security and the Law of Armed Conflict. Written information on dealing with Human Security issues, such as CRSV, is provided.


Written Question
Ukraine: Military Aid
Tuesday 20th September 2022

Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has had recent discussions with defence manufacturers that are producing materials for the Ukrainian Government on their (a) energy consumption and (b) security of energy supply in future; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Alec Shelbrooke

I will write to the hon. Member with the requested information shortly.


Written Question
Ukraine: Military Aid
Tuesday 20th September 2022

Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has had recent discussions with defence manufacturers on the provision of logistical support to help ensure they have the necessary materials for the production of goods for the Ukrainian Government.

Answered by Alec Shelbrooke

I will write to the hon. Member with the requested information shortly.