Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Paveway IV bombs the RAF has used in Yemen since 1 January 2024.
Answered by James Heappey
The RAF has carried out strikes on Houthi military capabilities linked to attacks on global shipping on four occasions since 1 January 2024.
For operational security reasons, I will not divulge the specific number of Paveway IV munitions used.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the size of the defence force in the context of NATO commitments relating to any escalation of the Russian threat in eastern Europe.
Answered by James Heappey
Headline numbers of regular personnel do not define operational effectiveness. A more efficient training pipeline, fewer formed-unit deployments, organisational refinement and investment in improved capabilities mean that more units are ready more of the time. Through our offer to NATO, we offer the Alliance the full spectrum of defence capabilities.
20,000 Service personnel from the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force will deploy across Europe to take part in Exercise Steadfast Defender 24. Our Armed Forces continue to meet all their operational commitments, including participating in every single NATO mission, supporting Ukraine, and tackling Houthi shipping attacks in the Red Sea.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reported civilian casualties in Maqbanah, Taiz following coalition air strikes in Yemen on 24 February 2024; and whether that target was engaged by the Royal Air Force.
Answered by James Heappey
A Royal Air Force Typhoon package carried out a deliberate strike on 24 February against Houthi military facilities in Yemen which had been conducting missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping and coalition naval forces in the Red Sea. The two sites targeted were Bani and Sanaa, a distance of some 300 kilometres from Maqbanah, Taiz. The RAF did not overfly the area. The current assessment is that all RAF targets were effectively destroyed with no evidence of civilian casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has robust targeting policies which are entirely consistent with our obligations under International Humanitarian Law. UK forces observe all practicable precautions in planning and carrying out military action and conduct a rigorous assessment before and after striking a target. The MOD will investigate any credible reports that UK actions may have caused civilian casualties.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Section 4 of his Department's dataset entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2023, published on 22 February 2024, what discussions he is having with (a) employers in the shipping industry, (b) trade unions and (c) the Maritime Skills Commission on maritime apprenticeships in the UK shipping industry.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department works with the Maritime Skills Alliance who design and promote qualifications and apprenticeships for the UK’s maritime sector. The Secretary to the Maritime Skills Alliance is a commissioner on the Maritime Skills Commission (MSC), which also includes trade union and employer representation. Apprenticeships have been discussed by the MSC, primarily in relation to the Ratings Review, which was published in September 2023. Maritime Minister Lord Davies discussed the Ratings Review with the MSC Chair on 27th February 2024.
The Department remains committed to ensuring seafarers have the qualifications they need, and their training is future proofed through the Cadet Training and Modernisation Programme and implementation of the Ratings Review.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Section 3 of his Department's dataset entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2023, published on 22 February 2024, if he will make it his policy to increase the (a) number and (b) proportion of UK seafarers working on merchant ships owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport remains committed to growing the UK seafaring population and promoting the Merchant Navy as a career choice. The Department is future proofing seafarer training through the Cadet Training and Modernisation programme and the Ratings Review. The Department funds 50% of the cost of cadet training through the Support for Maritime Training fund and is supporting diversity through initiatives such as the Roadshow for Girls, which promotes STEM and maritime careers.
The Department has also amended UK legislation, increasing seafarer employment protections and allowing UK seafarers to compete for jobs on a level playing field. We continue to promote seafarer welfare and employment protection on the international stage. Our policies ensure foreign seafarers are paid a fair wage when working in the UK. UK visa policies further protect foreign seafarers from wage differential and reduce industry reliance on cheaper overseas labour at the expense of UK seafarers.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's statistical dataset entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry, published on 22 February 2024, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the annual increase in seafarers working regularly at sea on vessels owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The increase in seafarers employed by UK Chamber of Shipping members in 2023 is driven by an increased number of Ratings and Uncertificated Officers. This trend can be affected by a number of factors, including new companies joining and leaving the UK Chamber of Shipping. In 2023, the increase in Ratings was driven by an increase in reporting by a single cruise company.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the publication entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2023, published on 22 February 2024, if he will make an estimate of the number of UK seafarers working at sea on merchant ships that are not owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department of Transport does not have an estimate for the number of UK seafarers working at sea on merchant ships that are not owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping (CoS).
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the scale of food shortages in Yemen.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN's Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 identifies that 17.6 million people continue to suffer from acute food insecurity in Yemen. The ongoing conflict, insecurity and economic crisis remain the main drivers.
Furthermore, the disruption to shipping in the Red Sea caused by Houthi attacks risks driving up costs of food and humanitarian aid supplies to Yemen. The Houthis have been attacking the very sea lanes that the Yemeni people depend on: 90 percent of food staples, such as wheat are, imported.
The UK is committed to provide continued humanitarian assistance to help alleviate the dire conditions faced by millions of Yemenis. This financial year (FY23/24), the UK's £88 million humanitarian pledge has contributed to providing food to at least 100,000 of the most vulnerable every month, providing lifesaving healthcare through 400 healthcare facilities and treating 22,000 of severely malnourished children.
The UK is committed to ensuring freedom of navigation and trade.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea on shipping through the Suez Canal.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Overall, the volume of ships passing through the Suez Canal has significantly decreased because of the reckless actions of the Houthis in the Red Sea. PORTWATCH report that the number of commercial ships passing through the Suez Canal has fallen by 45 per cent year-on-year this month (February 2024).
Larger commercial vessels have been more likely to divert around the Cape of Good Hope than smaller vessels and so the volume has fallen further. Diverting around the Cape of Good Hope adds at least 10 days to a journey from Asia to Europe, and over 15 per cent to shipping costs.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the involvement of UK-based (a) insurers, (b) insurance markets and (c) shipping companies in the provision of services for the (i) export of goods to and (ii) import of goods from Russia.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has introduced a comprehensive set of import and export restrictions on Russia. This has led to a 94 per cent fall in Russian imports into the UK and a 74 per cent fall in UK exports to Russia. Over £20 billion of UK-Russia bilateral trade (from 2021 figures) is now under full or partial sanction.
As well as banning the import and export of goods and technology, UK nationals and companies are prohibited from providing ancillary services which enable their trade, including financial services and funds which includes insurance, brokering and technical assistance.
The UK, alongside the G7 and Australia, has also banned the import of Russian oil and oil products. This substantially reduces the size of the global market for Russian oil and oil product exports.
Importantly, we have also created the Oil Price Cap which operates globally by prohibiting UK and G7+ firms from providing services such as shipping, insurance, and finance to facilitate the maritime transport of Russian oil and oil products to third countries, unless the oil was purchased from Russia at or below the cap. By limiting the price of Russian oil and oil products exported to third countries rather than restricting maritime services altogether, we restrict the revenues flowing to the Russian state and undermine Putin's ability to fund his illegal war in Ukraine, while still enabling oil to flow in a tight market and ensuring that third countries can continue to secure affordable oil.