Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) fixed odds betting terminals, and (2) electronic gaming machines, are on property owned by the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Army and Royal Air Force have confirmed that all such machines have been removed from their property. The Royal Navy has confirmed that this work is in the final stages.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the allegations of sexism, misogyny and sexual assault in the Ministry of Defence, in a recent letter sent in October which included testimonies from 60 female civil servants at the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
We already have strong insight into unacceptable behaviours and their impact within the Armed Forces from the Parliamentary Inquiry led by Sarah Atherton MP in 2021, together with the Wigston Review in 2019, and the review led by former non-executive Director Danuta Gray. Our responses to the House of Commons Defence Committee’s Women in the Armed Forces Inquiry in particular set out the significant work that has been carried out to implement their recommendations and build continuous improvement into our approach to policy, culture and behaviours. However, we recognise there is more to do, particularly for our civilian women. We are taking forward a detailed action plan to build on our current work, amplifying the voices of our women and further embedding the change they rightly demand of us.
The action plan includes support from two Non-Executive Directors, and senior colleagues from other Government Departments. It will also draw on wider national security cultural inquiry work and the experience of partner organisations, for example considering their approach to independent ethics counsellors, as a source of external advice and support. The Department has no current plans to commission an independent investigation.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission an independent investigation into the culture of sexism and misogyny at the Ministry of Defence, as called for by the FDA trade union.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
We already have strong insight into unacceptable behaviours and their impact within the Armed Forces from the Parliamentary Inquiry led by Sarah Atherton MP in 2021, together with the Wigston Review in 2019, and the review led by former non-executive Director Danuta Gray. Our responses to the House of Commons Defence Committee’s Women in the Armed Forces Inquiry in particular set out the significant work that has been carried out to implement their recommendations and build continuous improvement into our approach to policy, culture and behaviours. However, we recognise there is more to do, particularly for our civilian women. We are taking forward a detailed action plan to build on our current work, amplifying the voices of our women and further embedding the change they rightly demand of us.
The action plan includes support from two Non-Executive Directors, and senior colleagues from other Government Departments. It will also draw on wider national security cultural inquiry work and the experience of partner organisations, for example considering their approach to independent ethics counsellors, as a source of external advice and support. The Department has no current plans to commission an independent investigation.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support armed forces personnel with the increased cost of living.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Defence recognises that nobody is immune from the recent rises in inflation and the cost of living. We are committed to doing what we can to assist Armed Forces personnel where possible, including implementing the independent Armed Forces' Pay Review Body's 2022 pay award recommendations in full, a pay uplift of 3.75%; capping subsidised accommodation charge increases to 1%; increasing travel allowances by 7%; no rise in food charges; over 32,000 Service Personnel have received a Contribution in Lieu of Council Tax rebate of £150; and families can save around £3,400 per child per year through our wraparound childcare.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's resilience against nuclear weapons.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The United Kingdom’s (UK) independent nuclear deterrent exists to deter the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, which cannot be deterred by other means.
His Majesty’s Government will continue to keep our nuclear posture under constant review in light of the international security environment and the actions of potential adversaries. The UK will maintain the capability required to impose costs on an adversary that would far outweigh the benefits they could hope to achieve should they threaten our, or our Allies’, security.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many gambling or gaming machines are present on military bases in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I can confirm that some gambling and gaming machines are present on military bases in the UK. Whilst I am unable to advise precisely how many there are as this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, I would wish to provide reassurance that work is underway to understand the scale of problem gambling within the Armed Forces and to address it accordingly.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their ability to combat piracy once fully automated ships have been brought into service, and of how fully automated ships and their cargo can be protected from illegal boarding in the absence of a crew.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Royal Navy (RN) is developing its plans to bring minimally crewed and uncrewed boats and ships into service. The reduction and removal of crew from boats and ships may bring new challenges, including dealing with illegal boarding.
Identification of all of these challenges, and solutions to overcome these are ongoing. These will be in place before the RN deploys minimally crewed and uncrewed boats and ships into service.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capability of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs) provided to Russia by Iran; and what steps they are taking to help Ukrainians defend themselves from Russian UAV attacks.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Russia has attacked civilian infrastructure in Ukraine with one-way, long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), supplied by the Government of Iran. Such action is illegal under international law. The use of Iranian drones is also further evidence of Russia's increasing reliance on others to sustain the campaign and how far it has depleted its own equipment stocks.
Bolstering Ukraine's air defences has been and remains a priority for UK military support. To date, the UK has provided a variety of air defence systems and missiles and will shortly complete the delivery of almost 1,000 additional short-range anti-aircraft missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The missiles will play a vital role in the provision of air defence for Ukraine and the protection of its critical infrastructure.