Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 25 Nov 2025
Russian Ship “Yantar”
"My Lords, as the noble Baroness, Lady Goldie, said, the “Yantar” has form. Do His Majesty’s Government feel that sufficient action is being taken? I note that one question asked in the other place was whether the Russian ambassador had been called into the Foreign Office, and the answer appeared …..."Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
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Written Question
Wednesday 13th December 2023
Asked by:
Baroness Smith of Newnham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role played by the Afghan Territorial Force (ATF) 444 in supporting UK Forces, and whether ATF personnel should be eligible to come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
Answered by Earl of Minto
- Shadow Minister (Defence)
I refer the noble Lady to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for the Armed Forces (James Heappey), in the House of Commons on 30 November to the hon. Member for Glasgow Central (Ms Alison Thewliss) in response to Question 3862.
Written Question
Wednesday 13th December 2023
Asked by:
Baroness Smith of Newnham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghans and their families have come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy in the last two months, and how many they expect to arrive before 31 December.
Answered by Earl of Minto
- Shadow Minister (Defence)
Over 1,500 ARAP Eligible Principals (EPs) and their family members have been relocated in the past two months. Many factors govern the flow of relocation, but we are endeavouring to bring as many eligible Afghans as possible to the UK, as quickly as possible.
Written Question
Wednesday 13th December 2023
Asked by:
Baroness Smith of Newnham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of Afghans eligible to come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy who are currently (1) still in Afghanistan, or (2) in Pakistan.
Answered by Earl of Minto
- Shadow Minister (Defence)
As of 30 November 2023, there are around 2,991 confirmed ARAP Eligible Principals (EPs) and their family members in Afghanistan, and 2,047 in Pakistan.
These figures fluctuate as we continue to identify eligible individuals. We are committed to support the relocation of eligible Afghans and their families out of Afghanistan and Pakistan as quickly as possible. To date we have brought approximately 13,600 to safety in the UK under the ARAP scheme.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 08 Nov 2022
Armed Forces (Tri-Service Serious Crime Unit) (Consequential Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2022
"My Lords, as the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Craig of Radley, just said, this is a very narrow statutory instrument. It is perhaps surprising that its debate has such a wide audience. On the defence side of things, we are quite used to either having Statements right at the …..."Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 08 Nov 2022
Armed Forces (Court Martial) (Amendment) Rules 2022
"My Lords, again, from these Benches, this statutory instrument seems wholly appropriate. In particular, bringing service justice closer to the civilian system and the parallels with the Crown Court seem wholly welcome. Obviously, there are reasons why courts martial can be necessary, and some degrees of detail will inevitably be …..."Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 02 Nov 2022
Royal Navy: Conduct towards Women
"My Lords, the Atherton report suggested that 62% of women in the Armed Forces who replied had experienced bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape or some form of harassment or discrimination during their military careers. It is good to hear that the MoD has responded to many of the recommendations …..."Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 20 Oct 2022
Ukraine
"My Lords, as so often on these occasions, I rise in many ways to endorse all the questions and comments of the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, and to echo the support for His Majesty’s Government’s commitment to Ukraine. It is very welcome that the Secretary of State for Defence, reiterated …..."Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 20 Oct 2022
Ukraine
"If there are no other Back-Bench speakers, I would like to ask a question on behalf of my noble friend Lord Campbell, who is absent from the Chamber. I think he perhaps misunderstood the timing of a Statement repeat rather than an Urgent Question repeat. I believe he was going …..."Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 18 Oct 2022
Ukraine: NATO
"The right reverend Prelate mentioned the drone attacks yesterday. What assessment have the Government made of the impact on Ukraine of the loss of power—about 30% of power has been lost—and is the West able to support Ukraine to keep the lights on?..."Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
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