Asked by: Lord Ramsbotham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is any agreement by the US to defray the costs of maintaining the presence of UK military personnel on the island of Diego Garcia.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The 1966 Exchange of Notes is the agreement between the UK and the US detailing the conditions and permitted use of the British Indian Ocean Territory by the US Government. As part of this agreement the US do not currently provide Her Majesty's Government with funding towards the costs of our military personnel based in the territory.
Asked by: Lord Ramsbotham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the current annual costs, including salaries and all other incidental costs, which fall to the defence budget for maintaining the presence of UK military personnel on the island of Diego Garcia.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The defence budget for Diego Garcia in Financial Year 2016-17 is £3.085 million.
Asked by: Lord Ramsbotham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK military personnel are currently deployed on the island of Diego Garcia.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
As of November 2016 there are 41 UK military personnel deployed to Diego Garcia.
Asked by: Lord Ramsbotham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Ministry of Defence has issued to prison governors any guidelines on meeting the needs of prisoners who are armed forces veterans.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not issue guidelines to prison governors. However, my officials work closely with their counterparts in the Ministry of Justice to address the issues facing veterans in the criminal justice system. We achieve effect through the Ex-Service Offenders Working Group (ESOWG) which includes the Ministry of Justice, the National Offender Management Service and Service charities.
The ESOWG aims to ensure that the ex-Service prison and probation offender populations, their families and resettlement services are fully informed of the support available from Defence Business Services, Veterans UK and the voluntary and charitable sectors. This support and assistance applies during imprisonment as well as pre- and post-discharge.
A key objective of the ESOWG is to ensure that the differing requirements of ex-Service prisoners are understood and communicated and that tailored support is available in those prison establishments with higher veteran populations.