Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2019 to Question 228123 on Saudi Arabia: military aid, what the function is of the staff working in a liaison capacity inside the Saudi headquarters.

Staff working in any military liaison capacity ensure the timely flow of information between the Ministry of Defence in London, UK headquarters at home and abroad, and the overseas headquarters they are assigned to.

Military liaison officers in Saudi Arabia conduct Key Leader Engagement and relationship building, and develop understanding of operational matters within the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence and appropriate Saudi headquarters. More specifically, as I said in my reply to Question 228123, our liaison officers working in the Saudi Air Operations Centre observe Saudi-led coalition air operations in Yemen to help the UK support Saudi compliance with International Humanitarian Law.