Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they (1) are reviewing, or (2) plan to review, current Armed Services recruitment policy to allow those who have previously worked for UK forces in Afghanistan in any capacity, but who are not British or Commonwealth citizens, to apply to join the British Army if they have relocated to the UK.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We fully acknowledge and value the contribution of Afghan nationals who supported the UK mission in Afghanistan, and we are determined to honour our nation’s commitment to relocate and resettle eligible individuals. The nationality requirements for joining the UK Armed Forces are set out in legislation, namely the Armed Forces Act 2006. We are not currently reviewing the extant nationality requirements. Recruitment policies are reviewed regularly to ensure that Defence continues to be an employer which is representative of wider UK society.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister’s announcement on 23 April of an increase in defence spending to a new baseline of 2.5 per cent GDP by 2030 differs from the pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent by 2030 given by the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, at the NATO summit in Madrid in June 2022; and whether a spending review will be required.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Prime Minister's announcement is for a fully funded commitment to reach 2.5% of GDP in financial year (FY)2030-31. It is supported by a commitment not to increase borrowing or debt.
The current spending review period concludes at the end of FY2024-25, and a future Spending Review will formalise spending plans for the following period.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to resolve the engine fault on the RAF Hawk T2 advanced jet trainers; how many Hawk T2 jets are currently unavailable for fast-jet pilot training; what delays to fast-jet pilot training have been caused by that engine fault; and what is the additional cost of training pilots overseas as a result.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Defence Equipment & Support is closely engaged with industry to increase the number of serviceable engines through the delivery of the required new component parts and engine upgrade work to address the current limitations.
As at 11 March 2024, 16 Hawk T2 aircraft were currently unavailable for fast jet pilot training.
There have been minimal delays to Fast Jet pilot training as a result of the Hawk T2 engine issue. Despite the seriousness of the engineering issue, the implementation of mitigation measures such as the international outsourcing of Fast Jet training have reduced the impact to a minimal level. Those trainees on course at the time of the engine issue being discovered were delayed by up to 2-months maximum; no other trainees in the Fast Jet pipeline were adversely impacted or delayed. There has been no impact to the number of ab-initio Fast Jet pilots delivered to the Front Line as a result of the Hawk T2 engine issue and the forecast Fast Jet training requirement for the Front Line will continue to be met.
The cost per trainee of contracts with NATO allies are already a matter of public record. The Department is unable to disclose the full value of all contracts, as doing so would prejudice international relations and compromise our friendship with partners and allies.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the HMS Vanguard Demonstration and Shakedown Operation which took place on 30 January, what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I refer the noble Lord to the Written Statement I laid in this House on 21 February, HLWS268.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to minimise reputational damage to the UK’s Armed Forces capability, following recent issues regarding the material state of the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The recent issue on HMS Queen Elizabeth was identified during pre-sailing checks and is corrosion on a coupling on the starboard shaft caused through general wear and tear. It is not the same issue experienced by HMS Prince of Wales in 2022. It is not uncommon to have maintenance issues with state-of-the-art ships which contain complex engineering and technology. HMS Queen Elizabeth is a decade old and has thousands of miles under her hull, conducting operations around the world.
As a replacement, HMS Prince of Wales was able to deploy to take part in Operation Steadfast Defender in seven days, which is a huge undertaking. This ability to rapidly deploy another carrier to an urgent task underlines the importance of having two aircraft carriers, providing flexibility and the ability to project power around the world.
The Royal Navy continues to meet its operational commitments at home and abroad.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the target size of the Royal Marines; how many Commandos currently serve in the Royal Marines; and what steps they are taking (1) to improve the recruitment of, and (2) to combat the shortfall in the number of serving, Commandos.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I can confirm that it is the Government’s intention to announce an indicative projected strength for Regular Armed Forces personnel shortly which will provide further detail on planned future Armed Force strengths. However, I can confirm that as of 1 October 2023, there are currently 6,040 Royal Marines (RM) Commandos. This figure excludes the RM Band Service.
These figures are published on a quarterly basis for all His Majesty’s Armed Forces and can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2023.
RM recruitment is benefiting from Defence delivered improvements to the offer including pay and pension reviews, accommodation and recruitment drives and the recruitment bounty scheme. Additionally, specific recruitment activity undertaken directly by the RM include continuing RM outreach and advertising (across traditional and social media), streamlining the recruitment process, increased mentoring at the Commando Training Centre and ensuring development opportunities for Commando instructors.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to increase defensive patrols in and around the Strait of Hormuz following the undertaking by the United States’ National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on 12 May to seek to increase co-ordination and interoperability of the International Maritime Security construct and European Maritime awareness in the Strait of Hormuz.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The UK currently commands the International Maritime Security Construct, which provides an immediate response to the threat in the Persian Gulf by providing reassurance to commercial shipping and maintaining the security of the maritime commons.
In addition, the UK demonstrates our commitment to freedom of navigation through the deployment of HMS LANCASTER, a Type 23 Frigate, which regularly patrols the Gulf of Oman and through the Strait of Hormuz.
Alongside the US, the UK is currently increasing defensive maritime patrols in the Strait of Hormuz to provide additional security for maritime commerce in the region.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many fighter jets the UK Armed Forces currently have in service that would be suitable for use by Ukraine; and what assessment they have made of how many of those it would be possible for the UK to provide to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
In addition to existing commitments of support already made as recently as those at Ramstein in January 2023, the Prime Minister has asked the Defence Secretary to investigate what support we might be able to give on the provision of combat aircraft to Ukraine. This work is ongoing.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what restrictions are placed on the use of defence equipment supplied to the Ministry of Defence by German arms manufacturers, including the new Boxer armoured transport vehicles due to enter UK service in 2023.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Equipment supplied to the Ministry of Defence by German arms manufacturers has no restriction on use while it remains in our possession and under our control. Should the UK wish to subsequently sell, loan, or transfer such equipment to our allies and partners then all such sharing would be subject to the relevant laws on intellectual property, national export regulations and licence conditions that identify and control the end user, and reflect international arms controls and human rights legislation.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any Chinese spy balloons incursions have been detected over UK airspace in the past two years; and whether they have received any reports from European countries of any similar incursions into European airspace during that time.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (James Heappey) provided to the right hon. Member for Wentworth & Dearne (John Healey) on 14 February 2023 to Question 140019 in the House of Commons.
The Government and partners will also undertake a security review of UK and international airspace.