Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential security threat to the UK of a new Taliban administration in Kabul; and what steps the Government is taking in response to that potential threat.
Answered by James Heappey
The principal threat to the UK’s national security stemming from the withdrawal of NATO from Afghanistan and the new Taliban administration will centre on the extent to which Afghanistan is once again used by terrorist groups to prepare attacks against the West in general and the UK in particular. The future relationship between the Taliban and Al Qaeda remains unclear, but in the short term it is unlikely that they would act contrary to the Taliban’s interest. We do not judge that the Taliban themselves have any intent to carry out attacks outside of Afghanistan.
The Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) will highly likely continue to target the Taliban in Afghanistan to exacerbate social and ethnic tensions whilst seeking areas for settlement and sanctuary for their fighters. The UK continues to work to counter ISKP through means other than military presence in Afghanistan, working with partners in the region to diminish the threat they pose.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the compliance of his Department’s rules on annual leave carry-over with the Working Time (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Ministry of Defence amended its policy for civilian employees' annual leave carry-over to comply with the change to the Working Time (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020. This was done immediately and in line with Cabinet Office guidance. This means that none of our key workers should lose their statutory leave entitlement of 20 days (if they work full time) excluding public holidays because the necessary carry-over provision is in place. We collect and analyse metrics on annual leave and discuss our findings with the departmental Trade Unions.