Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Armed Forces have full control over all weapons systems they have purchased and do not require the authority or permission of a third party for their use.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
All equipment procured for use by the UK Armed Forces is for defence purposes and so permission is not required from any third party for its deployment or use by UK personnel.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that F-35 aircraft purchased by the Royal Air Force contain a ‘kill switch’ controlled by either the manufacturer or the US government that can render them useless.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer my hon. Friend Luke Pollard MP gave to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) to Question 94529 on 3 December 2025 in the House of Commons.
The Ministry of Defence has Operational Sovereignty/Freedom of Action to operate the UK 'F-35 aircraft at the time and place of the UK Defence's choosing' and to 'procure critical capabilities to be located in the UK'.
This is combined with an in-depth understanding of the aircraft's capabilities that enable Operational Readiness and risk to be assessed against national legislation, the Geneva Convention and our Duty of Care before committing the equipment and personnel to operations.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK’s placement in the recent NATO rankings of defence spending as a percentage of GDP.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK is the third largest cash spender in NATO and this Government has increased defence spending as a proportion of GDP as well as committing to the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.
Defence spending will rise to 2.6% of GDP from 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament. At the Hague Summit last July, the Prime Minister also committed to spending 5% on national security.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to deploy a naval vessel in the Caribbean during hurricane season in addition to HMS Trent; and if so, whether that vessel will have better capabilities than HMS Trent to provide support to the relief of storm damage.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There are no current plans to deploy other naval vessels in addition to an Offshore Patrol Vessel during the Caribbean hurricane season. As part of an FCDO-led response, the MOD provides scalable support options under Operation VENTUS. While our immediate response is primarily delivered through the Royal Navy persistent presence and an embarked crisis response troop, there are a wide range of options retained at high readiness in the UK to be deployed in advance of, or subsequent to, a demand for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief support.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what parts they own of the St Lucia Barracks in Omagh.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence owns what is known as the historic core at St Lucia Barracks and the St Lucia Cadet Centre.
The remainder of the site is owned by the Northern Ireland Executive.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to use St Lucia Barracks in Omagh as a museum of the service of the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Irish Regiment.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There are no plans to use any part of the site for a military museum.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with NATO or European allies concerning the provision of a nuclear umbrella to Ukraine or any other European country by the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The conflict in Ukraine is not a nuclear matter for the United Kingdom. However, we have assigned our nuclear deterrent to the defence of NATO since 1962.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 28 November 2024 (HL2549), how many individual claims were included in the £4,682,122 compensation paid out in the past five years to families of victims of the Troubles.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
My written Answer on 28 November 2024 referenced £4,682,122 of compensation paid to 'relatives of those shot and killed by soldiers in Northern Ireland during the Troubles'. That cohort included 20 individual claims.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many outstanding claims for compensation they have received and are processing from relatives of those shot or killed by soldiers in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is processing 107 claims relating to individuals shot or killed by soldiers in Northern Ireland, during the Troubles.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much compensation they have paid in the past five years in response to claims made by relatives of those shot and killed by soldiers in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In the last five years the Ministry of Defence has paid £4,682,122 in compensation to relatives of individuals fatally shot by members of the British Army in Northern Ireland between 1969 to 2007.