Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 14 Dec 2020
UN Mission in Mali: Armed Forces Deployment
"My Lords, today’s repeat of the Mali deployment Statement is very much welcomed because, whenever British forces are deployed, it is right—indeed, absolutely necessary—for Ministers to come to Parliament to explain the reasons, outline the objectives and answer questions. I am sure that the whole House welcomes the fact that …..."Lord Touhig - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 10 Dec 2020
War Widows Pensions
"My Lords, in an interview in The Yorkshire Post on 8 May, the Veterans Minister, Mr Mercer, said:
“You’ve got to remember that the military is as much about families as anything else … which is why we take families welfare so seriously.”
The whole House will applaud him …..."Lord Touhig - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 07 Dec 2020
Trident Nuclear Programme
"My Lords, the recent announcement of an extra £16.5 billion for defence is welcome, but the £13 billion black hole in the defence budget is still there. In terms of the funding for the Trident replacement programme, for more than a decade the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury have …..."Lord Touhig - View Speech
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Written Question
Thursday 26th November 2020
Asked by:
Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, whether the governments of other countries will be providing support when HMS Queen Elizabeth is deployed in the South China Sea.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
- Shadow Minister (Defence)
Planning continues for the 2021 Carrier Strike Group deployment and a statement will be made to Parliament in due course. What we can say for now is that this deployment - which will of course include working alongside and engaging with partners and allies (including NATO) - will be a demonstration of the professionalism and capability of our people, our ships and our aircraft. The deployment will also provide support to the UK's wider diplomatic and trade efforts.
Written Question
Thursday 26th November 2020
Asked by:
Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when a new UK armed forces families' strategy will be published.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
- Shadow Minister (Defence)
In 2019 Andrew Selous MP was asked to produce an independent report for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to explore what more support could be offered to Service families. That review, Living in Our Shoes, was published in June 2020 and considered how the MOD and wider Government policy reflects the varied make-up and diverse needs of a range of family models:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/living-in-our-shoes-understanding-the-needs-of-uk-armed-forces-families
The Government is now considering the findings of Mr Selous' review alongside other key research informing the development of a new UK Armed Forces Families Strategy, which the MOD anticipates will be published in 2021.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 25 Nov 2020
Nuclear Weapons
"We welcome the long overdue commitment on defence spending announced last week but, according to the National Audit Office, poor management of Britain’s nuclear weapons programme has led to infrastructure projects being delayed by six years and costs increasing by £1.3 billion. Can the Minister say how much of the …..."Lord Touhig - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 12 Nov 2020
Armed Forces: Covid-19 Deployment
"My Lords, I am sure the whole House will be at one in thanking the men and women of our Armed Forces for the vital support they have given during the pandemic. Can the Minister confirm that the Covid support will have no adverse impact on training, standing commitments or …..."Lord Touhig - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 04 Nov 2020
HMS “Queen Elizabeth”
"My Lords, on 13 March last year, during a Question about deploying HMS “Queen Elizabeth” to the Pacific, I said:
“When the Americans deploy a carrier they provide an escort of a cruiser, four destroyers, a carrier wing, a submarine and 7,500 sailors.”—[Official Report, 13/3/19; col. 1019.]
…..."Lord Touhig - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 03 Nov 2020
Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020
"My Lords, I congratulate and welcome the noble Lord, Lord Dodds. He follows in a rich tradition of sons and daughters of Derry/Londonderry making very important contributions to the quality of public life in our country. I look forward to his contributions in the future.
Defence procurement drives the UK’s …..."Lord Touhig - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 22 Oct 2020
Armed Forces: Reduction
"To ask Her Majesty’s Government what military (1) activities, (2) deployments, and (3) training, they plan to end following any reduction in the number of armed forces personnel...."Lord Touhig - View Speech
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