Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel were court-martialled due to their sexuality in the most recent period for which data is available prior to 2001.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Due to the broad range of offences applied to same-sex sexual acts and the record keeping practices prior to 2000, there is no way of conducting a search for data on sexuality based convictions. Court martials were held on a single Service basis until 2009, with the results of such cases being recorded in district court martial books and individuals’ Service records until the introduction of the Joint Personnel Administration database in 2006. Therefore, the data from prior to 2006 is not centrally held in a way which would enable this type of analysis.
The Government encourages anyone who was convicted based on their sexuality to apply for a disregard through the Home Office’s Disregard and Pardon scheme.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the amount of compensation available to LGBT veterans following the LGBT Veterans Independent Review, published in May 2023.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Government acknowledges the historic policy prohibiting homosexuality in the Armed Forces was regrettable, wrong and completely unacceptable. The treatment of LGBT Serving personnel between 1967 and 2000 was wholly unacceptable and does not reflect today’s Armed Forces.
All 49 recommendations made in Lord Etherton’s report have been accepted and to date, 32 of the 49 recommendations have already been implemented demonstrating the Government’s commitment to supporting our veterans and the LGBT+ community.
Full details about these recommendations and the non-financial restorative measures already available can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lgbt-veterans-apply-for-restorative-measures.
Lord Etherton’s report demonstrated the broad range of ways that personnel were impacted by the Ban. The financial redress scheme has been designed with this in mind, intending to provide a sense of closure to all those affected. Defence has worked with experts across Government to design an appropriate scheme where applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, enabling appropriate distribution of the available funds.
I hope this helps explain Defence’s position and reassures you that we are committed to welcoming back LGBT veterans into the Armed Forces community, where they have always belonged.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Oral Statement by the former Secretary of State for Defence on Wednesday 19 July 2023 on Veterans update, Official Report, column 921, what discussions he has had with the Leader of the House on parliamentary time to debate the independent review into LGBT Veterans.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Government has been working at pace to provide a comprehensive and meaningful response to the LGBT Veterans Independent Review in a timely manner. I gave an oral statement outlining the government’s response and progress made to the House on 13 December. Ministers are committed to maintaining the momentum of the LGBT Veterans Independent Review and so are working towards a debate early next year when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many officials in his Department worked in the Export Control Joint Unit in each year between 2018 and 2022 inclusive.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The total number of civil servants working in the Export Control Joint Unit within the MOD in each year since 2018 is set out below:
2018 – 6
2019 – 10
2020 – 6
2021 – 7
2022 – 7
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 136840 on Armed Forces: Schools, who commissioned the study on the merits of military ethos in schools.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
This study is being completed by the right hon. Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr Robert Goodwill). The Government welcomes Mr Goodwill's focus on this area and the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education will provide relevant support as requested by Mr Goodwill. We look forward to reading the report when it is completed.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 136840 on Armed Forces: Schools, what discussions he has had with cabinet colleagues on the commissioning of the study on the merits of military ethos in schools.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
This study is being completed by the right hon. Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr Robert Goodwill). The Government welcomes Mr Goodwill's focus on this area and the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education will provide relevant support as requested by Mr Goodwill. We look forward to reading the report when it is completed.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to publish the scope and further details of the review he commissioned on the merits of a military ethos in education.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
My hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Robert Goodwill) will soon be undertaking an independent study that will look into the benefits of military ethos in schools. The Government's Cadet Expansion Programme has already proven that it can increase social mobility and help disadvantaged children reach their potential. My hon. Friend's study has not been commissioned by the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to (a) Devonport Royal Dockyard, (b) Rolls Royce in Derby and (c) elsewhere for refuelling operations to extend the lifespan of the Vanguard-class submarines until the Dreadnought submarines are built.
Answered by Guto Bebb
A decision on whether to refuel HMS Victorious is to be made later this year and therefore estimated costs related to the refuelling operations have yet to be finalised.
There are currently no plans to refuel HMS Vigilant or HMS Vengeance.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the potential cost of the Vanguard-class submarine refuelling operations.
Answered by Guto Bebb
A decision on whether to refuel HMS Victorious is to be made later this year and therefore estimated costs related to the refuelling operations have yet to be finalised.
There are currently no plans to refuel HMS Vigilant or HMS Vengeance.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when a decision will be reached on whether it is necessary to refuel the (a) HMS Victorious, (b) HMS Vigilant and (c) HMS Vengeance.
Answered by Guto Bebb
A decision on whether to refuel HMS Victorious is to be made later this year and therefore estimated costs related to the refuelling operations have yet to be finalised.
There are currently no plans to refuel HMS Vigilant or HMS Vengeance.