Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to make good the reported shortfall in the budget of the Ministry of Defence, and what effect such a shortfall will have on the UK’s supply of materials to Ukraine.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The UK Government remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine, which is funded from the Treasury Reserves and not the defence budget. In parallel, we remain absolutely committed to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as soon as economic and fiscal conditions allow.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to replace the UK's representative to the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga, and if so when.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The United Kingdom (UK) continues to support strategic communications as an important element of NATO's renewed deterrence and defence posture. The next UK member of staff at the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence is due to take up their appointment in August 2017.