Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their report, Wigston Review into inappropriate behaviours, published on 15 July, what plans they have to increase the number of transgender officers in the Royal Air Force from the rank Air Commodore and above.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
In taking forward the recommendations made in the Report on Inappropriate Behaviours, the RAF is determined to address the challenge of inappropriate behaviour. In doing so, we will be underpinning our existing efforts to attract, recruit and retain the most talented people from all backgrounds to create a truly inclusive workforce.
The RAF prides itself on the support it provides to personnel who choose to transition.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to conduct an urgent review into the competence of Capita for undertaking army recruitment.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 7 February 2018 to Question HL5344.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current estimated cost of the A400 Atlas aircraft programme; how many of the aircraft have been delivered to the RAF so far; how many are operational; and when they expect deliveries to be complete.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The forecast UK acquisition cost of the A400M Atlas transport aircraft programme is £2.6 billion. The current UK fleet size is 18 aircraft and of these, 15 are operational while three are at a facility in Spain being modified to bring them up to the latest capability standard. 22 A400M aircraft have been ordered by the UK and the final delivery is expected in 2022.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate, in pounds sterling, of the difference between (1) the amount spent by each NATO member state which has failed to spend two per cent of GDP on defence, and (2) the amount which would be spent if that target had been reached, for the last year for which GDP figures are available for each member state.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
NATO publishes defence investment statistics on the expenditure of Allies, with the most recent figures published in March 2017. These figures are available at:
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49198.htm.
The attached table contains defence spending by NATO Allies in US dollars at current and 2010 exchange rates. NATO determines the definitions for categorising defence spending. All NATO members are assessed using the same guidelines so that NATO Allies' defence spending can be compared accurately.
Neither NATO, nor the UK, produces analysis on potential defence spending by Allies.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 15 February (HL 5237), whether the primary role for RAF Voyager is as an air refuelling tanker or to provide VIP transport for Government ministers and the royal family; and if the latter, what is their rationale for painting the plane in camouflage colours.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
I refer my noble Friend to the answer I gave on 15 February 2017 to Question number HL5237. The primary role of the RAF Voyager aircraft in question is air-to-air refuelling.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total number of troops and units which the UK, USA and Canada have stationed in other NATO countries in Europe.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The most recent figures for UK military personnel based in European NATO countries can be found in the document entitled 'Quarterly location statistics: 1 October 2016', which can be found on the gov.uk website at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/location-of-uk-regular-service-and-civilian-personnel-quarterly-statistics-2016
The following units are based in Germany: HQ British Forces Germany; HQ 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade; The Queen's Royal Hussars; 26 Regiment Royal Artillery; 35 Engineer Regiment; 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment; 1 Medical Regiment; 3rd Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; Theatre Fleet Support Unit (Germany).
The UK does not hold information on the personnel and units of the US and Canada based in European NATO countries.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will paint the RAF Voyager which conveys Her Majesty the Queen and the Prime Minister in distinctive colours which clearly indicate that it is British rather than RAF sky camouflage grey.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
There are no plans to repaint the Voyager aircraft, as its primary role remains the provision of military air-to-air refuelling capability.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to propose to NATO that NATO members which do not spend two per cent of their GDP on defence should not receive help or protection under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, the principle of collective defence.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The UK plays a leading role in the NATO Alliance, which is one of the cornerstones of UK defence. NATO's strength lies in the clear message Article 5 sends that an attack against one Ally shall be considered an attack against all. The UK and all NATO Allies are committed to upholding Article 5 and any suggestion that we would not help protect our Allies weakens the Alliance.
All Allies agreed to meet the Defence Investment Pledge at the Wales Summit in 2014, and since then defence investment across the Alliance has increased in real terms. The UK regularly encourages all Allies to meet the commitment made to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence by 2024, because defence investment is how the Alliance will continue to have the military capabilities needed to tackle the full range of threats that it faces.
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Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Prime Minister's statement that the President of the United States is 100 per cent behind NATO, what pressure they are placing on those NATO members which do not contribute two per cent of their GDP to defence.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The United Kingdom meets the Defence Investment Pledge from the NATO summit in Wales, and has committed to do so for the rest of this decade. NATO's ability to deter potential adversaries requires modern capabilities, and these need appropriate funding. Government ministers regularly encourage Allies to fulfil the commitments they have made to spend two per cent of GDP on defence by 2024 (and 20 per cent of that on equipment). Better burden-sharing is an important issue for the new US Administration, and we expect this to be a focus of discussion at the NATO Defence Ministerial Meeting later this month.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the governments of NATO countries which spend less than two per cent of GDP on defence.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The United Kingdom meets the Defence Investment Pledge from the NATO summit in Wales, and has committed to do so for the rest of this decade. NATO's ability to deter potential adversaries requires modern capabilities, and these need appropriate funding. Government ministers regularly encourage Allies to fulfil the commitments they have made to spend two per cent of GDP on defence by 2024 (and 20 per cent of that on equipment). Better burden-sharing is an important issue for the new US Administration, and we expect this to be a focus of discussion at the NATO Defence Ministerial Meeting later this month.