Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are reducing the RAF air fleet in Iraq and North-East Syria.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Tornado will retire, as planned, in March 2019 after a long and illustrious contribution to British combat air power. A full range of ground attack capabilities have now been integrated onto the Typhoon aircraft under Project Centurion. Consequently, Tornado has been withdrawn from Operation Shader, handing over operations to Typhoon, with no reduction in the capability or effectiveness of the RAF's contribution to the Global Coalition against Daesh. As counter-Daesh operations evolve, we will keep our operational capability to meet the threat under review.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what precise measures have been developed by the armed services to ensure that those leaving service have adequate accommodation and avoid rough sleeping after discharge.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
All Service leavers are provided with information on sources of housing help in their leaving information packs which are issued before discharge. The Joint Services Housing Advice Office (JSHAO) provides a dedicated focal point within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for housing information and advice for those about to return to civilian life. The JSHAO gives regular nationwide briefings advising Service personnel of their housing options.
In 2012, the Government changed the law so that serving personnel suffering from a serious injury, illness or disability attributable to their service, and former Service personnel with urgent housing needs, are always given high priority for social housing. The Government has issued guidance strongly encouraging councils to prioritise all members of the Armed Forces and their families for social housing. This is statutory guidance to which councils must pay regard and is published at:
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/allocationaccommodationguide
The MOD is developing a new tri-Service policy to provide more comprehensive support to Service personnel and their families as they transition out of the Armed Forces to civilian life. This will include advice and support on housing matters. The MOD will also be covered by the new Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) led statutory requirement scheduled to come into effect this autumn to refer those Service personnel at risk of homelessness when they leave the Armed Forces to the relevant local authority. The MHCLG has also extended the period within which veterans are given priority for Government funded shared ownership schemes, from 12 to 24 months after service. Support is also available from Veterans UK who operate a Freephone helpline (0808 1914218), and the Veterans Welfare Service. The Veterans Gateway can also signpost individuals to the organisation best placed to support, making it easier for veterans to access advice on a range of issues, including housing.
The cross-Government Rough Sleeping Strategy is focused on achieving a commitment to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it by 2027.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by the Western military attacks in Syria on 14 April; and whether depleted uranium was included in weapons launched by the Royal Air Force.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
All assessments of the operation on 14 April have demonstrated that no civilian casualties were caused by UK strikes. No weapons used by the RAF in this operation contained depleted uranium.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
Her Majesty's Government what evidence they have that the Saudi Arabian air force is adequately trained in the accurate use of weapons such as the Paveway bomb supplied by the UK, so as to prevent civilian deaths in Yemen and elsewhere.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The UK has considerable insight into the systems and procedures used by the Royal Saudi Air Force in Yemen, notwithstanding that the UK is not a member of the Coalition or a party to the conflict.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take any action to prevent attacks by Turkey on Kurdish forces in Afrin Canton in northern Syria.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Protecting the security of Turkey, as a key NATO Ally, will always be a top priority for the UK. Turkey is also a partner the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh and the UK welcomes previous Turkish actions which cleared the terrorists from its border.
The Syrian Democratic Forces continue to make an important contribution to the Global Coalition's efforts to counter Daesh. Given the complex situation in northern Syria, we will continue to urge all actors to focus on the fight against Daesh, and to coordinate their action through the Coalition.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Russian military aircraft are passing through British airspace; if so, whether they are always required to submit flight plans in advance; and if not so required, why not.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
There have been no unauthorised incursions by Russian military aircraft into sovereign airspace around the UK, which projects 12 miles off the shore or to a mutually agreed mid-point between adjacent nations, as in the Straits of Dover.
Russian state registered aircraft, which may include military aircraft, can transit through UK sovereign airspace but must apply for diplomatic clearance in advance on a case by case basis and adhere to an approved flight plan with civil air traffic control authorities.