Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Afghans have arrived in the UK under the relocation scheme arising from the 2022 data leak of their identities.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As of 15 July 2025, under the Afghanistan Response Route, 900 principals are in Britain or in transit, together with 3,600 family members.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support and protect Army personnel and veterans from vexatious legal claims, and to provide veterans with protection against prosecutions.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The vast majority of Service personnel maintain the highest standards of behaviour, in the most challenging of circumstances. There are safeguards in place to reduce the risk of vexatious claims against them.
The Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Act was introduced in 2020 with the aim to provide greater certainty for service personnel and veterans in relation to claims and potential prosecution for historical events that occurred on overseas operations. This includes a statutory presumption against prosecution, meaning that it will be "exceptional" for Service personnel or veterans to be prosecuted in those circumstances.
The Act does not prevent victims of alleged offences by Service personnel from bringing forward their allegations, which will be investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted.
All members of the Armed Forces, including the Reserve Forces and Ministry of Defence civilians, plus veterans, are provided with welfare and legal support at public expense where they face criminal or civil allegations that relate to actions taken during their employment or service, and where they were performing their duties. This applies regardless of where in the world the alleged offence took place, or when.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much it would cost to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of gross domestic product.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Under current plans the Government is expected to spend 2.6% of GDP on defence and national security by April 2027, the biggest sustained increase since the end of the Cold War. At the NATO Summit, we made the historic commitment to spend 5% of GDP on national security by 2035, including 3.5% on core defence. This will be fully funded with details set out in due course.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what further action they plan to take to protect members of the security forces from vexatious court proceedings.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Government brought in The Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Act 2021, which reduces the uncertainty faced by our Service personnel and veterans in relation to historical allegations and claims arising from overseas operations. This legislation provides a better legal framework for dealing with allegations or claims from any future overseas conflicts. The Government is committed to ensuring our Service personnel and veterans have access to the legal protections they deserve.
We are acutely aware of the individual human impact that historical investigations can place on those affected by them, and we are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of all Service personnel.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they are taking to encourage other countries to provide urgent military equipment to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The UK continues to galvanise support from the international community. We have worked closely with allies and partners to ensure that Ukrainian Armed Forces requirements are met at pace. The Defence Secretary has hosted two international donor conferences to coordinate aid from 35 partner nations and, via strong participation in the International Donor Coordination Centre, the UK continues to enable support to Ukraine from across the world.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Poland about the provision of tanks and helicopters to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Poland joined the UK at the 2nd International Defence Donors' Conference for Ukraine on 31 March, which was convened by the Secretary of State. The decisions taken at the Conference will see the international community stepping up and increasing the co-ordination of military support to Ukraine.
The Government is now working with Poland, the US and other Allies and partners to co-ordinate the provision of longer-term international support according to Ukrainian requirements, including the provision of air and coastal defence systems, longer-range artillery and counter battery capabilities, armoured vehicles as well as wider training and logistical support.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of Army applicants are from residents of Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The percentage of Regular Army applications in the calendar year 2020 which provided a Northern Ireland residence as the home address was 1.8%. This figure has been provided by Analysis Army and has been defined as an online application submitted by an individual and accepted by the Defence Recruitment System.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Taliban fighters killed Afghan commandos who had surrendered.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
We strongly condemn such egregious actions perpetrated by the Taliban. While we recognise that the current security situation is serious, we do not believe there is any military solution to this conflict. The Taliban must engage in meaningful dialogue with the Afghan government, to enable a political solution to ensure lasting peace. We will continue to work closely with international and regional partners to support Afghan peace efforts, including through diplomatic support and technical advice.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when legislation will be introduced to protect soldiers from vexatious prosecutions.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Government has delivered the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel & Veterans) Act 2021 (the Act), which delivers on the 2019 manifesto commitment to tackle the vexatious legal claims that undermine our Armed Forces.
The measures of the Act provide reassurance to our Service personnel and veterans that, where an investigation into historical allegations of wrongdoing is referred to the prosecutor for a decision on whether to prosecute, the unique circumstances of overseas operations will be taken into account in their considerations.
The Government has been clear it will introduce a separate legacy package for Northern Ireland that delivers better outcomes for victims, survivors and veterans, focuses on information recovery and reconciliation, and ends the cycle of investigations. The MOD continues to work with the NIO to ensure that the legacy package delivers on the commitments made to Northern Ireland veterans. Government is committed to bringing forward legislation as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Armed Forces Covenant is fully implemented in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Armed Forces Covenant applies throughout the U.K. but delivery is shaped by local and regional factors and jurisdictions. The Government is making good progress in delivering the Covenant in Northern Ireland, where unique circumstances require a different approach to be taken from the rest of the U.K.
For example, last year Danny Kinahan was appointed as Northern Ireland’s first Veterans Commissioner, to act as a voice and advocate for veterans; additional funding has been secured for the Veterans’ Support Office in Northern Ireland to assist in delivery of the Covenant at ground level; and projects in Northern Ireland received over £1.6million last year from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s £10million per year fund for initiatives across the U.K. that support the Armed Forces Community.
The Ministry of Defence’s review into the Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Irish (Home Service) Aftercare Service (NI ACS) has begun. It is currently considering whether the remit of the Service should be widened to cover all Her Majesty’s Forces veterans living in Northern Ireland with service-related injuries and conditions. The review is due to conclude in March 2022.
Finally, the Government is further incorporating the Armed Forces Covenant into law, in the Armed Forces Bill 2021, and this will apply across the U.K., including in Northern Ireland.