Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on increasing defence spending.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
At the NATO Summit earlier in July 2024, the Prime Minister, Foreign and Defence Secretaries discussed a range of issues with our NATO allies at the NATO Summit. This included making the case for all NATO allies to increase defence spending, in light of the grave threats to our security.
The UK continues to work internationally with our allies to encourage all NATO allies to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence, with 23 allies now meeting this target. We see this as a minimum not a ceiling for defence spending in these more difficult times.
This Government is committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the proportion of defence spending that is allocated to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Northern Ireland and its defence sector companies play an important role in the collective defence of the United Kingdom and the promotion of our global interests. The Strategic Defence Review, launched by the Prime Minister on 16 July 2024, will ensure defence is central to both the security and the economic growth and prosperity of the whole United Kingdom.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what will be the (a) role and (b) remit of the proposed new Armed Forces Commissioner.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces Commissioner will be a strong independent champion of our Armed Forces and their families, to improve service life. The new Commissioner will be a direct point of contact for service personnel and their families to raise issues impacting service life. They will have the power to proactively launch independent reviews into issues affecting Service personnel and their families more widely, and to lay those reports before Parliament. The Commissioner will also incorporate the functions currently undertaken by the Service Complaints Ombudsman
The Armed Forces Commissioner will strengthen Parliamentary oversight of issues facing our Armed Forces personnel and their families. The Commissioner will be subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the Defence Select Committee and will report directly to Parliament, not Ministers, via an annual report.
There will be opportunities to fully debate the role and remit of the Armed Forces Commissioner when the Government brings forward the relevant Legislation referenced in the King’s Speech.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many watchkeeper drones the UK has.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 March 2024 to Question 18362 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has been made of trends in the level of army recruitment over the past five years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Army continues to implement a number of measures to improve recruitment and regularly assesses the recruiting environment to ensure that demand can be met. January 2024 saw the highest number of monthly applications for Regular soldiers in over six years.
Key points and trends can be found at the below link within the published Quarterly service personnel statistics:
Quarterly service personnel statistics 1 January 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to engage with schools to help ensure young people are aware of opportunities available to them in the armed forces.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Armed Forces enjoy good relationships with schools, primarily in terms of engagement to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) curriculum areas but this also extends to careers engagement. The Armed Forces only visit when they have been invited by a school to support activities. The visits cover a range of activities such as career events, citizenship talks, science and maths challenges and other indoor or outdoor exercises.
The Cadet Expansion Programme has focussed on growth in the state sector. Since introduction in 2012, the number of cadet units in state schools has grown by 417% (268 schools). Some new units have also been opened in Independent Schools and here there has been a 12% increase (total 201).
It is important to note that the Armed Forces do not target recruitment activity at under-16s, and no visits to schools by the Armed Forces are directly linked to recruitment, other than specific Careers/Jobs Fairs which generally involve a range of employers. While presentations may be given highlighting the careers available in the Armed Forces, no pupil is ever signed up or able to make a commitment to become a recruit in the Armed Forces during the course of a visit.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of communications between Royal Air Force Quick Reaction Alert Stations in England and Royal Air Force bases in Northern Ireland.
Answered by James Heappey
Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon aircraft based at RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth are kept at a state of constant readiness and can launch within minutes against a threat to any part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what military assistance he is offering to Ukraine to help deter attacks on civilians.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK has provided Ukraine with thousands of short and long-range air defence systems and missiles, including six Stormer vehicles fitted with Starstreak missile launchers and Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) to protect their citizens, front line, and critical national infrastructure.
In December we announced a further package of around 200 air defence missiles to re-supply UK-developed air defence systems.
The UK also continues to galvanise international support, with £900 million having been pledged to the UK-established International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), to assist Ukraine in critical areas, including air defence.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to provide military assistance to help support Ukraine's naval forces in winter 2023-24.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK, alongside Norway, is leading the Maritime Capability Coalition, to support the development of Ukraine's maritime capability. The UK has already trained 950 Ukrainian Marines and is working with coalition members to continue that training. We are working with the international community to develop Ukraine's counter-mine capabilities, and providing shore-to-ship missiles, air defence, and long-range systems. This will help Ukraine keep its shipping lanes clear of Russian mines and enable them to export grain and other commodities vital to their economy and long-term success.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with Veterans UK on veteran homelessness.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Veterans UK is the public facing name given to the administration and payment by the Ministry of Defence of Armed Forces Pensions and the War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Schemes, and Veterans Welfare Service. The brand is being retired because it does not exist as an executive agency or standalone entity, and the continued use of the brand causes confusion as to the role of the Department.
As I said in the House on 8 January 2024 (volume 743, column 11), homelessness is not principally a function of the Ministry of Defence. However, the Veterans Welfare Service, Defence Transition Service and Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans provide holistic transition and welfare information, guidance and support to the Armed Forces Community, which includes that in relation to homelessness where the need is specifically linked to Service. This includes responding to housing enquiries from Service leavers and their families with a housing need, including those at risk of homelessness and who require further, additional transitional support.
The lead for cross Departmental issues effecting Veterans such as homelessness is the Office for Veterans Affairs.