Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many non-UK Commonwealth nationals are serving in the UK armed forces.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The table below shows the number of Commonwealth citizens serving in our Armed Forces as at 1 October 2018:
Service | Royal Navy/ Royal Marines | Army | Royal Air Force | Total |
Regulars | 510 | 3,890 | 90 | 4,500 |
FR20 Reserves | 10 | 190 | 10 | 210 |
Total | 520 | 4,080 | 100 | 4,710 |
The 4,500 Commonwealth citizens in the Regular forces represent 3.3% of the Regular trained strength. The 210 Commonwealth citizens in the FR20 Reserves represent 0.65% of the FR20 Reserve trained strength.
Notes:
Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether defence arrangements with Bahrain extend to any areas other than Mina Salman.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
The Arrangement that the UK signed with Bahrain in December 2014 concerning naval basing also changed the jurisdiction arrangements that apply to UK military personnel who are serving throughout Bahrain. From 1994 to 2014, the UK had exclusive jurisdiction over UK military personnel in Bahrain but we now have concurrent jurisdiction which recognises that both UK and Bahraini law applies. The Arrangement contains a mechanism to allow the UK and Bahraini authorities to determine which set of national laws should be applied to a member of the UK Armed Forces if it is alleged that they have committed a crime.
Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the defence co-operation arrangements with Bahrain differ from defence arrangements with other countries in the Gulf or elsewhere.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
We have similar defence co-operation arrangements with other countries. Each is governed by a range of international agreements agreed on a bilateral basis. | |||||||
Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the new defence co-operation arrangements with Bahrain differ from the previous arrangements.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
The arrangement signed in December 2014 supports our existing agreements with Bahrain, comprising three extant Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) covering issues such as Status of Forces, Defence Equipment Cooperation, Exercises and Training. The key MOU was signed in the run up to the first Gulf War. This was principally about facilitating the movement of UK forces through Bahrain including making facilities available for UK forces; this continues to the present day with the hosting of the UK Maritime Component Commander and basing of UK minehunters on operations in the Gulf. The UK/Bahrain high level Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation which was signed in 1971 remains in force.
Asked by: Lord Luce (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the nature and purpose of the new agreement with Bahrain in relation to the naval base at Mina Salman.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
The Ministry of Defence has had a Naval Base in Bahrain since the 1950s. The new arrangement will enhance the naval and logistics facilities that support our operations in the Gulf. The agreement (signed in December 2014) reaffirms the UK's and Bahrain's joint determination to maintain regional security and stability in the face of enduring and emerging regional challenges.