Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the RAF Voyager would need to be repainted should it be required for operational military purposes; and if so, what the likely cost would be.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The VIP Voyager aircraft's primary role remains Air-to-Air refuelling, and it remains available to meet a range of operational commitments. The aircraft is already used to fly senior Government Ministers and members of the Royal Family on official business. The new livery better reflects this prestigious task, however, if required, the aircraft can be returned quickly to a more traditional military livery, the costs for which are marginal and absorbed within the overall Voyager running costs.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether RAF Reaper drones have been operated outside Operation Shader; if so, why; and whether such operations took place under independent UK control.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
REAPER is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform. We do not comment on intelligence matters and I am therefore withholding the information as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restore the policy of publishing standalone Sustainable MOD annual reports to ensure that the records of all military greenhouse gas emissions each year are easily accessible.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Ministry of Defence greenhouse gas emissions and performance against targets are reported in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) future UK arms sales, and (2) existing arms contracts.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
It is not yet clear what the full impact will be of the Covid-19 outbreak on existing Ministry of Defence contracts, although it is inevitable that there will be some repercussions. We remain closely engaged with our strategic suppliers to monitor and understand the impact of Covid-19 on defence during this critical time.
The Department for International Trade's Defence and Security Organisation (DIT DSO) has not made a formal assessment on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on future UK arms sales or existing arms contracts. DIT DSO remains in close contact with industry and is actively monitoring the situation through its Industry Engagement Plan. DIT DSO will continue to support UK defence and security industries to export, post COVID-19.