Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are required to notify any authorities of their intention to move armed forces personnel and military equipment to Gibraltar; if so, to whom they give notice; and under what conditions such movements are permitted.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Gibraltar is a UK overseas territory, and there is no requirement for advanced notice of Armed Forces personnel or military equipment deploying/arriving from the UK.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether military equipment being moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is required to undergo inspection under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and if so, where any such inspections will take place.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Protocol is clear that it respects the essential state functions and territorial integrity of the UK. It therefore places no restrictions on military movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
A NATO 302 Form is not needed under the Northern Ireland Protocol to move Armed Forces personnel or military equipment between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a NATO 302 form must be completed before they can move armed forces personnel and military equipment from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and if so, why.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Protocol is clear that it respects the essential state functions and territorial integrity of the UK. It therefore places no restrictions on military movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
A NATO 302 Form is not needed under the Northern Ireland Protocol to move Armed Forces personnel or military equipment between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are required to give a 15 day period of advance notice of their intention to move armed forces personnel and military equipment from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; if so, (1) to whom they give notice, (2) whether such personnel and equipment can be refused entry, and (3) what emergency procedures can be implemented if any notice period cannot be adhered to; and whether any such requirement applies to all (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy, and (c) Royal Air force, deployments.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Protocol is clear that it respects the essential state functions and territorial integrity of the UK. It therefore places no restrictions on military movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
A NATO 302 Form is not needed under the Northern Ireland Protocol to move Armed Forces personnel or military equipment between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many veterans in Northern Ireland are in receipt of (1) a war disablement pension, or (2) Armed Forces compensation.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
As at 31 March 2020 there were 3,558 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of a War Disablement Pension under the War Pension Scheme and 65 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of a tax-free monthly Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) residing in Northern Ireland.
AFCS tax-free lump sum awards are paid to Service personnel and veterans as compensation for pain and suffering for an injury or illness that is predominantly caused or made worse by Service. Location data is not routinely updated following payment of a lump sum award. Where a lump sum award has been made at tariff levels 1-11 (reflecting a more serious injury/illness), the claimant will also be awarded a tax-free index-linked income stream known as a Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP).
As at 31 March 2020 there were 654 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of the War Pension Mobility Supplement under the War Pension Scheme residing in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many veterans in Northern Ireland are in receipt of a war pension scheme mobility supplement.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
As at 31 March 2020 there were 3,558 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of a War Disablement Pension under the War Pension Scheme and 65 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of a tax-free monthly Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) residing in Northern Ireland.
AFCS tax-free lump sum awards are paid to Service personnel and veterans as compensation for pain and suffering for an injury or illness that is predominantly caused or made worse by Service. Location data is not routinely updated following payment of a lump sum award. Where a lump sum award has been made at tariff levels 1-11 (reflecting a more serious injury/illness), the claimant will also be awarded a tax-free index-linked income stream known as a Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP).
As at 31 March 2020 there were 654 UK Armed Forces veterans in receipt of the War Pension Mobility Supplement under the War Pension Scheme residing in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards improving the effectiveness and reliability of power plants on Type 45 destroyers.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin), in the House of Commons on 8 June 2020 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Douglas Chapman), in response to Question numbers 53459 and 53460.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to accelerate the construction of the new Type 31 class of frigates for the Royal Navy, given the increasing workload being created by the situation in the Gulf and the imminent deployment of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
We remain committed to ensuring the Royal Navy has the ships and capabilities required to fulfil Defence commitments now and in the future.
The first Type 31 Frigate will be in the water in 2023 and Babcock is contractually obliged to deliver all five Type 31 Frigates to the Ministry of Defence by the end of 2028.
The Prime Minister has committed to undertake the deepest review of Britain's security, defence and foreign policy. This review will examine how we strengthen and prioritise our alliances, diplomacy and development and will consider all aspects of our defence and security capabilities, including our approach to procurement and maintaining our technological edge. We are considering a number of options to increase the availability of ships during this period.