Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if it is government policy to cover overspends from the Defence Nuclear Enterprise budget from the wider Defence budget or from the Treasury reserve.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
If an overspend within the Defence Nuclear Enterprise could not be managed within the ringfenced budget, then options to manage this within the wider Defence budget would be considered.
This is distinct from the Dreadnought programme for which HM Treasury hold a separate £10 billion contingency.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to remove the £50 million cap on reparation payments to LGBT veterans, in the context of the value of average payments that would be provided to those veterans under that cap.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
We deeply regret the treatment of LGBT Service personnel between 1967 and 2000, which was wholly unacceptable and does not reflect today’s Armed Forces. We are fully committed to ensuring this issue receives Parliamentary scrutiny.
We have already implemented 32 of the 49 recommendations from the LGBT veterans review and we are working with experts across Government to establish an appropriate financial redress scheme. We will provide more details later this year.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether in light of recent government announcements about the risk of Israel forces being non-compliant with international law, UK intelligence is passed to Israel for the purposes of military targeting.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence only provides support to foreign militaries where it is satisfied that it is lawful under international law and domestic law.
On 2 December 2023, the UK commenced surveillance flights over Gaza solely tasked to support hostage rescue. Only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authority responsible for hostage rescue. The surveillance aircraft are unarmed and do not have a combat role.
We are unable comment further on detailed intelligence matters for operational security reasons.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will ensure that the upcoming Strategic Defence Review (a) begins with a statement of Britain's (i) interests, (ii) role in the world and (iii) military ambitions over the next 10 years and (b) matches available or planned military resources to that statement of interest, role and ambition.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review will determine the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats and opportunities of the twenty-first century, deliverable and affordable within the resources available to Defence within the trajectory to 2.5%. The Review will ensure that Defence is central both to the security, and to the economic growth and prosperity, of the United Kingdom.
The Review will identify where reprioritisation of roles, capabilities, activities, and support may be made in the current Defence programme, to allow new investment, achieve better value for money, and secure greater economic gain for the UK, and will make recommendations.