Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 12 Jul 2016
Iraq Inquiry
"It is appropriate that we are having this debate today when a book of remembrance has been opened in the cloisters of the House of Commons in memory of more than 8,000 Muslim boys and men who were slaughtered at Srebrenica. If people go and sign that book, as I …..."Lord Soley - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 23 May 2016
Queen’s Speech
"My Lords, I was born just before the Second World War and I have very clear memories of the street parties celebrating the defeat of Hitler and of Japan in 1945. Even at that relatively young age, I was left in no doubt that Britain alone of the major European …..."Lord Soley - View Speech
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Written Question
Tuesday 15th March 2016
Asked by:
Lord Soley (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action will be taken by the captain of any British ship operating under the auspices of NATO in the Aegean Sea if they identify a migrant or refugee boat in Greek waters.
Answered by Earl Howe
- Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Royal Navy assets deployed in support of NATO's activity in the Aegean Sea will conduct reconnaissance and surveillance of illegal crossings. Migrant boats identified will, in the first instance, be reported to the Turkish and Greek coastguards and the EU Frontex mission for interdiction. However, if a migrant vessel was in distress, the Royal Navy ship would provide assistance, in accordance with international obligations.
Written Question
Tuesday 15th March 2016
Asked by:
Lord Soley (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the commander of the NATO operation against people smuggling in the Aegean Sea will have a liaison officer from Frontex with the fleet, and if not, what liaison will take place between that operation and Frontex and other EU border or coastguard agencies.
Answered by Earl Howe
- Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
NATO and Frontex are finalising joint working and information sharing arrangements, which might include the deployment of Frontex Liaison Officers on board NATO ships. NATO is coordinating at the tactical level with the Turkish and Greek coastguards, and the NATO command ship already has Turkish and Greek military liaison officers on board.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 03 Feb 2016
Syria: Brimstone Missiles
"The real problem here is heavy bombers flying from Russia unloading unguided bombs in large numbers and killing almost indiscriminately. Does not that also have a dramatic effect in driving up the refugee numbers, which continue to destabilise Europe? Maybe—just maybe—we are not taking this seriously enough...."Lord Soley - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 03 Dec 2015
Strategic Defence and Security Review
"My Lords, I do not think I can cap that. Knowing all four of the speakers from the House of Commons, I know they will all make a great contribution. Some years ago, I considered inviting my noble friend Lord Hain to plant a tree in my constituency, but we …..."Lord Soley - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 24 Mar 2015
Defence: UK Territorial Waters
"My Lords, I appreciate the sensitivity of this, but can the noble Lord go a bit further and tell us whether we have an estimate of activity around the waters of Scotland and whether the Scottish Government are aware of any problems of this nature? Although it is not a …..."Lord Soley - View Speech
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Written Question
Wednesday 18th March 2015
Asked by:
Lord Soley (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there have been any Russian submarine activities within United Kingdom territorial waters over the past two years; and if so, where.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
I am not prepared to comment on intelligence matters or to disclose the detail of maritime operations as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 05 Feb 2015
Russia: Armed Forces
"My Lords, is not the problem for Russia and the former Soviet Union that there is now growing instability? As the Minister said, this is clearly a matter for NATO and the UK, but it is also for the European Union to have some sort of strategy towards Mr Putin’s …..."Lord Soley - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 17 Dec 2014
Al-Sweady Inquiry Report
"As a country that promotes the rule of law, I think we can be proud of this report in the face of such serious allegations. It does us a great service overseas when people can see our open and free system of justice. I do not wish to repeat the …..."Lord Soley - View Speech
View all Lord Soley (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Al-Sweady Inquiry Report