Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the latest developments relating to the EU Gendarmerie Force; and whether that Force can be deployed on British soil.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The European Gendarmerie Force is not an EU body. It was established by treaty between France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain to enable their respective police forces to cooperate on international crisis management operations. The Force may be placed at the disposal of the EU, UN, NATO, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and other international organisations. As with other foreign forces, any deployment on British soil would require the consent of the UK Government.
To date, the Force has deployed exclusively outside of the EU. Its latest deployment was to Mali, where it has operated within the EU Capacity Building Mission in Mali to train local security forces since April 2014.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what restrictions there are on serving members of the armed forces having their photographs taken with public figures; and in what circumstances taking such photographs might lead to disciplinary action.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
It is not unlawful, either in criminal or Service law, to have a photograph taken with a public figure. Disciplinary action would only follow when the intent behind the photograph breached the Armed Forces' Values and Standards, caused damage to another person, or damaged public trust in the Armed Forces by bringing the Services into disrepute. Any constraints or actions against individuals could only be considered on a case by case basis.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what restrictions there are on the political and public affiliations of serving soldiers.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Armed Forces personnel are permitted to join political parties. However, all personnel are required to abide by the standards and values of their respective Service, at all times, whether on duty or off duty.
As such, they are permitted to attend political meetings in a personal capacity, so long as they do not wear their uniform and their Service duties are not impeded. However, involvement in political marches or demonstrations are prohibited under Queen's Regulations as this may bring the Armed Forces into disrepute and breach their values and standards.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what benefits the UK derives from membership of the European Defence and Security College.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The European Security and Defence College (ESDC) is a virtual network of national training institutions that helps promote a common understanding of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy. Many UK civilian and military personnel have attended ESDC courses to better equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to carry out their work. This expertise and engagement in turn helps to ensure that the UK maintains influence in EU security and defence policy.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the purpose of the European Network of Defence-related Regions; and what part the UK plays in it.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The European Network of Defence-related Regions (ENDR) brings together regional authorities and industrial clusters with the intention of sharing information, experiences and best practices in both building dual-use strategies and accessing EU funding. The ENDR is particularly aimed at supporting small and medium sized enterprises that are working in the dual use area.
The UK Government has no official role within the ENDR but will when appropriate highlight funding opportunities to UK industry and organisations. Marine South East, the Solent-region based cluster, was recently successful in bidding and received funding from the ENDR for hosting the ENDR's second conference on 4 April in Southampton, which focused on marine and maritime-based technologies.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on (1) the establishment of the EU Defence Union, (2) the development of European multilateral defence procurement, and (3) the establishment of the EU military planning and conduct capability.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
An EU Defence Union concept has been discussed in the European Parliament but is non-binding and has not been raised in the EU Council. At the March European Council, member states agreed to some limited proposals to improve the effectiveness of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy, including a Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) to improve oversight and coordination of the three EU non-executive military missions. We have limited the size and scope of the MPCC, ensuring that it is responsible for these non-executive missions only and that its Director will only exercise Operational Control - there is no increase in command authority over and above what already exists.
There are no finalised proposals for multilateral defence procurement, but the European Defence Agency is engaged in projects across the defence spectrum to help deliver the results and capabilities of member states through increased coordination. 'Permanent Structured Cooperation' has been proposed by some as a way of giving further impetus to European capability development but we continue to make clear that the starting point should be for member states to spend more nationally; that military capabilities remain owned by member states; and that any proposals should be considered in light of work underway at NATO.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans for upgrading British Army infantry fighting vehicles.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme will ensure the Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle continues to provide the infantry with battle-winning capability for the future.
Furthermore we are building an adaptive force to meet the range of future threats. Vehicle projects including Ajax (to support both the armoured infantry and new strike brigades), and the Challenger 2 life extension project, will be delivered in support of the new war fighting division as part of Joint Force 2025.
I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Harriett Baldwin) on 18 January 2017 to Question 59929.