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 protect Afghan interpreters that have served British Forces following the planned withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan in September.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Government is strongly committed to fulfilling its responsibilities to current and former locally employed staff in Afghanistan. That is why we developed a new Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which launched on 1 April 2021. It acknowledges and reflects the fact that the situation in Afghanistan has changed, and with it the potential risk to current and former Locally Employed Staff who worked for the UK Government over the past twenty years. Under the new scheme, any current or former Locally Employed Staff who are assessed to be under serious threat [to life] will be offered priority relocation to the UK regardless of their employment status, rank or role, or length of time served. And local staff who have worked in roles which could have exposed their identities and placed them at risk of reprisals will be relocated to the UK by default. We will continue to monitor events in Afghanistan closely to ensure the implementation of this policy reflects the changing security situation.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people from Northern Ireland applied to join the British Army in each of the last three years.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The number of applications to join the Army from Northern Ireland over the last three years is as follows:
Northern Ireland | |||
2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 (to 28 February) | |
Regular | 1,720 | 1,810 | 1,840 |
Reserve | 1,200 | 1,030 | 1,450 |
Since the Recruit Partnering Project between the Army and Capita started operations in April 2013, applications have been carried out online and processed centrally. In order to align data for the years in question to the geographical boundaries of Northern Ireland the postcodes of candidates have been used. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military and aviation personnel worked in his Department in each of the last five years.
Answered by Anna Soubry
Information on the strength of UK Armed Forces is published in the Ministry of Defence's Quarterly Personnel Report (QPR). The latest issue, published on 12 February 2015, includes information as at 1 January 2015; Table 5a provides a breakdown by Service as at 1 April in each year since 2011 and also includes data from 1 October 2014 and 1 January 2015. The QPR can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/402633/quarterly_personnel_report_jan15.pdf
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people from Northern Ireland applied to join the Royal Air Force in each of the last three years.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, it is possible to provide the number of personnel who have applied to join the RAF via the Armed Forces Careers Office in Belfast, although these individuals may not necessarily be from Northern Ireland. This information is provided in the table below:
Calendar Year | Applicants |
2012 | 204 |
2013 | 297 |
2014 | 295 |
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military personnel are based in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Anna Soubry
As at 1 January 2015 there were 2,210 UK Regular Armed Forces personnel based in Northern Ireland. A full breakdown, including by Service and by local authority area, is available in the Ministry of Defence's Quarterly Location Statistics. The latest release, published on 19 February 2015, includes data as at 1 January 2015 and can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to make a formal public acknowledgement of the sacrifice made by British troops deployed to Afghanistan in recent years.
Answered by Mark Francois - Shadow Minister (Defence)
British Service personnel served with great courage and distinction throughout the Afghanistan campaign. As the Prime Minister has made clear, the UK military personnel who sadly paid the ultimate price will never be forgotten. Neither will this Government forget those who were injured in the course of their Service.
In addition to the many public acknowledgements, Defence has rewarded the bravery and sacrifice of those who served in Afghanistan through the awarding of medals to those who deployed. Further, the names of those who have lost their lives are recorded on the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA). In addition, the Bastion Wall monument is in the process of being replicated at the NMA, with a re-dedication service to be held later this year.
In November 2014, the Prime Minister announced plans for a monument to those who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. This work is being taken forward by an independent committee, chaired by Lord Stirrup and supported by the Ministry of Defence, with fundraising led by The Sun newspaper. Our hope is that the monument will be unveiled in 2016.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on introducing the Armed Forces Covenant in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Anna Soubry
As I made clear in the debate on the Armed Forces Covenant on 22 October 2014 (Official Report, columns 971-1004), the implementation of the Covenant in Northern Ireland is going from strength to strength. The Armed Forces Covenant annual report, laid before the house on 16 December 2014, highlights the good progress that was made during 2014; nearly all of the measures in the Covenant now extend to Northern Ireland or will soon do so.
I am planning to visit Northern Ireland in due course to see for myself the results of this good progress and the benefits which this has brought for the Armed Forces Community in the Province.
We will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that the needs of the Armed Forces community are met.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to promote the Reserves in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Julian Brazier
We make regular use of national and local media to increase public awareness of the contribution our Reserves make to Defence through both general marketing and highlighting Reserves activity. Recently, for example, we have publicised the support given by Reservists in the operation to counter the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This helps to increase recognition of the contribution that Reservists make and to demonstrate to potential recruits the range of challenges and opportunities within the Reserves.
Local units also play an important role in promoting Reserve service. For example, in Antrim, 253 Northern Ireland Medical Regiment held events in Antrim Town Centre and at Junction One shopping centre on 8 and 10 January 2015 respectively.
Units are holding similar events and open days at Reserve bases throughout Northern Ireland leading up to the Armed Forces Jobs and Trades Fair which is scheduled to take place at the Kings Hall, Belfast in April.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what British personnel have been based in Afghanistan since the conclusion of the British forces combat mission in that country.
Answered by Mark Francois - Shadow Minister (Defence)
As my right hon friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon) said in the House on 27 November 2014, the UK's contribution to the NATO Resolute Support Mission will include 470 personnel who will remain in Kabul to help deliver the Train, Advise, Assist function within the Mission.