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.