Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that non-UK citizens who have access to information classified as sensitive to the national security of the UK or its allies, during their employment in the public service or with contractors to the Government, do not subsequently communicate such information to the government of their country of citizenship.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Everyone who works with Government (including staff, contractors and service providers) has a duty of confidentiality and a responsibility to safeguard any HM Government information or data that they access, irrespective of whether it is marked or not, and must be provided with appropriate training. Access to sensitive information must ONLY be granted on the basis of a genuine 'need to know' and an appropriate personnel security control.
All Ministry of Defence personnel sign the Official Secrets Act Declaration upon employment and must complete annual mandatory security training which includes how to handle all Defence information.
Information passed to partners should only be provided to international organisations, foreign governments, and their commercial or industrial entities, in cases where: There is a clear need to know; The international partner has demonstrated both the ability and willingness to protect UK classified information; and appropriate protective security arrangements have been agreed with the recipient.
Any decision to provide UK classified information to international partners must be taken on a risk managed basis by departments and agencies, noting that the threats to information may differ from those in the UK.
For UK contractors, the prior approval of the relevant Department or agency must be obtained before HMG classified assets are released overseas.
Roles with access to sensitive information may also require the postholder to have an appropriate national security vetting clearance; as part of that process applicants’ ongoing overseas connections will be considered, and if a risk is identified as a result of such connections additional risk mitigation will be considered.
Additionally, caveats are used - the caveat UK Eyes Only is intended to limit access to UK nationals. Further information can be found in the May-2018_Government-Security-Classifications-2.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have completed a review into the allocation of costs of using Ministry of Defence assets for emergency relief in cases of (1) natural disasters, and (2) the rescue of migrants at sea, to the budget of the Department for International Development.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The appropriate allocation of operational costs is considered at the commencement of an operation and, where appropriate, reviewed annually. For most operations the Ministry of Defence (MOD) seeks funds for costs that are over and above existing funding arrangements. Where the Department for International Development (DfID) has requested the use of MOD assets to support humanitarian and disaster relief operations the additional costs may be recovered from DfID. The additional cost of the counter-people trafficking operation in the Mediterranean is met from the HM Treasury Special Reserve.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 21 October (HL2323), when they expect to be able to report to Parliament the results of the coalition investigation into the air attack on 17 September.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
We await the outcome of the coalition investigation into the airstrike in Syria on 17 September. Once it is published by the coalition, we will inform Parliament of its conclusions.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that future air strike missions against land targets in Syria or Iraq, in which RAF aircraft are involved, have had their targets independently verified and approved in advance by British military personnel.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
RAF strikes are approved through a strict assessment process undertaken by British military, policy and legal advisers. All the available information is considered in accordance with strict targeting criteria to ensure compliance with UK and international laws and UK Rules of Engagement. The authorisation to conduct a strike is only given when this process is complete and the conditions for the release of weapons are met.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the use of the UK's air power against armed forces of the Syrian government has been authorised by Parliament.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
| The UK does not deliberately use air power against the armed forces of the Syrian government and therefore Parliament has not been asked to authorise such a requirement. | ||||||
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government who authorised the use of RAF aircraft in the 17 September air attack on Syrian government ground forces at Deir ez-Zor in Syria and why; and how many members of the Syrian government military forces were (1) killed, and (2) wounded, in that attack.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
| A coalition investigation into the 17 September air attack which inadvertently targeted Syrian government ground forces is ongoing. It would be inappropriate to comment before that process is completed. | ||||||
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any British forces in either Iraq or Syria are under the command of US officers.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The coalition's counter-Daesh military response in Iraq and Syria is directed by the US commander of the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF).
All UK forces in Iraq and Syria remain under national command, apart from UK military personnel embedded into coalition posts in the CJTF. However, embedded personnel are still bound by UK law, policy and guidance on response in an armed conflict.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the numerical strength of the moderate forces fighting against President Assad in Syria.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Estimating the numerical strength of armed groups in Syria is challenging given the lack of data, the fluidity of the situation on the ground, and the multiplicity of groups. Nevertheless, we estimate that fighters loyal to the Free Syrian Army, which has close links to the Syrian National Coalition, which is the heart of the political opposition, run into tens of thousands.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what circumstances they would consider using British military assets to prevent President Assad from using barrel bombs against civilians in Syria.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
We have repeatedly demanded that Assad ceases the use of barrel bombs and called on his allies, Russia and Iran, to apply pressure to that end. Ultimately, a negotiated political transition is the only way to end the conflict and alleviate Syria's humanitarian crisis. Any decision to commit UK military assets in order to prevent Assad's use of these indiscriminate weapons would be subject to appropriate legal consideration, close consultation with allies and the endorsement of the House of Commons.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the total cost of deploying HMS Bulwark in the Mediterranean on search and rescue missions will be allocated to the defence budget; and how much to the aid budget.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The marginal costs of deploying HMS Bulwark in the Mediterranean on search and rescue missions will be met from the UK aid budget.