Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment her Department has made of the risk to family members of people settled in the UK under the Afghan Ex Gratia scheme who remain in Afghanistan.
Answered by James Heappey
We take the safety of immediate family members of former Locally Employed Staff (LES) eligible for relocation under the Ex Gratia Sceme (EGS) very seriously. That is why spouses and dependants under 18 are eligible to relocate with the former LES member.
If family members choose to remain in Afghanistan, then they are still eligible to seek support and assistance from our Intimidation Investigation Unit in Kabul, which is open to all immediate family members of LES, whether relocated under the EGS or not.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the parent unit was of the military officer referred to in the Government's review of the Defence Communications Directorate’s response to Declassified UK.
Answered by Ben Wallace
It's not appropriate to disclose information about individuals, particularly those not found to be at fault in this matter. The conclusion of Tom Kelly's review into the Declassified issue was announced in Parliament by myself on 7 December 2020 and a copy of the report placed in the House of Commons Library.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) of his Department's civilian staff based in the UK, (b) of his Department's civilian staff based in Saudi Arabia, (c) military personnel based in the UK and (d) military personnel based in Saudi Arabia were employed by the (i) Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications Project and (ii) Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Project on 1 April 2020.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The number of civilian and military personnel based in the UK and Saudi Arabia who were employed by the Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications Project (SANGCOM) and the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) on 1 April 2020 is shown below. The Saudi Arabian Government reimburses the UK Ministry of Defence for these staff costs..
Manpower number as at 1 April 2020 | SANGCOM | MODSAP |
UK-based Civilian Staff | 4 | 68 |
UK-based Military Staff | 0 | 34 |
Saudi-based Civilian Staff | 43 | 38 |
Saudi-based Military Staff | 21 | 67 |
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much money from the public purse was spent on the (a) Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications Project and (b) his Department's Saudi Armed Forces Project in 2019-20; and what the budget is for those projects in 2020-21.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The costs incurred by the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) in financial year 2019-20 amounted to £64.10 million. The budget for financial year 2020-21 is £62.24 million. The costs of MODSAP are met in full from a management fee received from the Saudi Arabian Government.
There is no expenditure charged to the UK Ministry of Defence's budget for the Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications (SANGCOM) Project, as it is entirely funded by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July to Question 68798, how many alleged breaches or violations of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen took place in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018, (e) 2019 and (f) 2020 to date.
Answered by James Heappey
Disaggregating the number of alleged instances of breaches or violations of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen listed on the "Tracker" database would be misleading without the addition of sensitive contextual information, which I am withholding as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and other states.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many incidents have been logged as alleged international humanitarian law violations reportedly conducted by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen since March 2015.
Answered by James Heappey
As at 4 July, the number of alleged instances of breaches or violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen listed on the "Tracker" database maintained by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is 535. Of these, 19 are duplicate entries, which means that some incidents will have been recorded on more than one occasion likely because of the incomplete nature of reporting.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what effect the order by the Court of Appeal in June 2019 not to issue new licences for the export of equipment to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen has had on the Government's obligations to Saudi Arabia under existing Government-to-Government agreements for the supply of military equipment; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government’s obligations to supply military equipment and support to Saudi Arabia under the existing Government-to-Government arrangements are fulfilled under contract by the designated prime contractor, BAE Systems. Under these contracts, it is the responsibility of the company to submit an export licence application for all exports of arms and controlled military goods, which are considered on a case-by-case basis.
The Government continues to act fully in line with the decision of the Court of Appeal.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to support the establishment of a Committee on Arms Export Controls as a full non-departmental Select Committee.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Any plan to change the status of the Committee on Arms Exports Controls from a joint meeting of members of the relevant departmental committees (Foreign Affairs, Defence, International Trade and International Development) to a standalone committee is a matter for the House of Commons.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to investigate Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan’s death.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Our thoughts remain with Lance Corporal (LCpl) Bernard Mongan's family following his tragic death. There is an on-going North Yorkshire Police investigation into his death and the Coroner will hold a Pre-Inquest Hearing before scheduling a full Inquest.
Within the Army, two Learning Accounts have been completed, which looked at immediate lessons to be learned, and a Service Inquiry has been convened, which will conduct a thorough internal investigation.