Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government why they have closed the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; and why they did not give advance notice of those closures.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) has been in operation for over four years and over 95% of all applications are now found to be ineligible. This Government has been clear that resettlement schemes cannot be an indefinite process. Over 19,000 individuals have now relocated to the UK under ARAP.Those who have submitted an application will be duly processed.
Over 13,200 people have also been successfully resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) since 2021. We will continue to honour our commitments to those who have already been found eligible for ACRS and ARAP.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of defence investment into the women, peace and security agenda, following the commitments laid out in the UK women, peace and security national action plan 2023 to 2027.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The UK’s fifth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security recognises the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls and includes tangible actions across Government to promote their vital role in conflict prevention through to resolution.
The delivery of the WPS agenda is a cross government effort, with personnel across five government departments and two devolved administrations delivering on specific commitments. One year since the WPS NAP’s publication, 75% of the 117 commitments are in progress. As a joint FCDO-MOD strategy, both Departments are committed to driving forward NAP implementation, including getting 100% of commitments in progress over the next year.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a defence budget dedicated to women, peace and security, and human security, work.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
In Defence, work on Human Security and Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is primarily delivered as a mainstreamed and integrated component of existing work, consequently it does not have a dedicated budget line. This approach helps to ensure that Human Security and WPS are not treated as standalone concerns and siloed from core Defence activity and priorities.
When appropriate, budget is made available for specific Human Security and WPS requirements. This can be seen in the delivery of the Human Security in Military Operational Planning course that is delivered at the Defence Academy or the delivery of the Gender Barriers Study to support UK’s ability to meet UN gender parity targets during peacekeeping deployments.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by The Earl of Minto on 18 March (HL2986), who represents the UK on the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives and how they were chosen.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Human Security policy team in the Ministry of Defence are the policy owners and experts on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) in Defence. They provide one civilian or active duty representative for the UK at the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives (NCGP). This representative regularly attends NCGP meetings and has supported the revision of NATO’s updated WPS Policy (due to be published in 2024), and the revision of roles and relationships between the NCGP and the NATO Military Committee. UK representation in the NCGP will continue to be provided by the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have nominated a candidate to sit on the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives Executive Committee.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Although the UK has not nominated a candidate to the Executive Committee this year, we are represented on the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives (NCGP) and are working closely with the Chair to formulate the programme of work for the next two years. The UK has been instrumental in updating the NCGP Terms of Reference to increase its influence and strengthen the Women, Peace and Security agenda at NATO.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat to Commonwealth Graves in Manipur in India as a result of the current violence there; and what steps, if any, they are taking to protect them.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission are responsible for those sites overseas where World War casualties are interred and commemorated. The Commission are well apprised of both the security and general situation in the countries where they operate around the world, including India, and in monitoring the position the Commission maintain regular contact with the relevant in-country UK Embassy staffs.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many military personnel are on placements in (1) international non-governmental organisations, (2) civilian organisations, and (3) academic institutions.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) foreign and commonwealth serving military personnel, and (2) foreign and commonwealth veterans, have a special point of contact in the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
All serving personnel, regardless of their nationality, have access to a comprehensive system of advice and support from their Chain of Command, welfare staff and Padres. If the issue cannot be resolved at that level, it may be referred to the relevant Ministry of Defence policy owner, and where specialist advice or support is required, individuals will be sign posted to the appropriate organisations.
During transition from and after leaving the service, the Defence Transition Service (DTS) delivers a full range of transition support for individuals, as a service leaver or family member, working directly with the service leaver to provide tailored information and guidance. DTS will facilitate access to the support they need, whether that be from other Government departments, local authorities, the NHS or trusted charities. The Veterans UK Welfare Service provide support to all veterans both overseas and in the UK, regardless of nationality. This includes helping them to access the relevant information and advice they need about their individual circumstances.