Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 17 September (HL3396), what was the cost of providing security for the EU Defence Summit in County Wicklow in August.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK does not comment on operational taskings. Matters relating to Ireland’s defence posture and expenditure rest with the Irish authorities, and any enquiries on those issues should be directed to them.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the company that supplied the faulty enhanced combat body armour plates to the Ministry of Defence will be subject to any sanctions.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No sanctions against the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) are envisaged in relation to the Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA) plates, which have been in service since 1981. Any reduction in protection is likely to be an effect of age, not faulty manufacture. The Ministry of Defence continues to work with suppliers to ensure that equipment provided to the Armed Forces meets the required standards and contractual obligations.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the withdrawal of all enhanced combat body armour plates issued to the UK Armed Forces for testing following safety concerns, what is the timetable for replacement plates; when the invitation to tender for replacement plates, including female-specific plates, will be released; and whether the contract award remains on track for December 2026.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA) is no longer used as the primary front and rear ballistic plate system. However, ECBA plates remain in service as side protection inserts when personnel are operating at the highest level of protection with the VIRTUS and OSPREY body armour systems, which are the Armed Forces' primary combat body armour solutions.
The Complex Geometry Body Armour (CGBA) project will shortly commence the Concept Phase which will explore opportunities to enhance body armour design and performance, with particular consideration given to Service women. At this stage of the project, the timetable (including the invitation to tender and subsequent contract award) has not yet been concluded.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide crisis loans to the farming community severely impacted by the drought this summer.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has acted to support farmers affected by drought with a package of support measures: https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2026/08/15/new-drought-support-for-farmers/ (see attached).
This Government also supports access to finance for smaller businesses through the British Business Bank's Growth Guarantee Scheme, which many farm businesses are eligible to access.
This Government will continue to monitor the situation closely, working with stakeholders across farming, water and biosecurity to consider pressures and emerging risks on businesses and domestic food production.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the details of the agreement with the government of the Republic of Ireland to provide security for the EU Defence summit in County Wicklow in August.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK and Ireland work closely together on shared security challenges under the refreshed UK-Ireland Defence Memorandum of Understanding which prioritises maritime defence cooperation. The UK does not comment on operational taskings.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Stockwood on 30 June (HL1217), what specific arrangements will be in place to facilitate the movement of steel to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
Since the Government's response to HL1217 on 30 June, further information on Northern Ireland arrangements has been published on GOV.UK. These arrangements include certain dedicated Tariff Rate Quotas that allow eligible steel products to move into Northern Ireland, and serve to protect UK-origin steel moving within the UK from tariffs. Further detail on moving steel to Northern Ireland is contained in the Steel Notice and Government has communicated these arrangements to industry, with support continuing to be available to traders through the Trader Support Service and HMRC.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Northern Ireland Executive have the option not to implement the new criteria for Motability vehicles limiting the mileage a lessee can drive before incurring a charge.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
From 1 July, new leases will include a mileage allowance of 10,000 miles a year – e.g. 30,000 over a three-year lease or 50,000 over a five-year lease. Three out of four Scheme customers drive 10,000 miles or fewer per year. However, Motability recognise that a small number of customers will be unable to change driving behaviour or absorb the mileage charges. On 8 July, Motability announced an exceptions process for those who exceed this new limit for some journeys made for healthcare, education and employment. The customer will need to evidence this extra mileage.
The Motability Scheme is operated independently of Government. Decisions about eligibility, lease terms, mileage allowances and support arrangements are matters for Motability. The Government's role is to provide qualifying disability benefits that customers may choose to use to access the Scheme.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow individuals who claim Attendance Allowance to qualify for the Motability Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Qualifying benefits for the Motability Scheme are the enhanced rate mobility component Personal Independence Payment (enhanced rate mobility component Adult Disability Payment in Scotland), higher rate mobility component Disability Living Allowance (higher rate mobility component Child Disability Payment in Scotland), Armed Forces Independence Payment and War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement.
Attendance Allowance is intended to help those with a severe disability who have long term care or supervision needs which arise after reaching State Pension age. It has never included a mobility component, and so cannot be used in payment for a leased Motability Scheme vehicle. Government mobility support is focused on people who are disabled earlier in life; developing mobility needs in older life is a normal consequence of ageing, which non-disabled younger people have had opportunity to plan and save for.
There is no constraint on what an award of Attendance Allowance can be spent on, and a recipient may choose to use this benefit to fund mobility aids. Disabled people over the age of 65 can apply to their local authority for assessment under the Blue Badge Scheme, which helps people with severe mobility problems to park close to where they need to go. Assistance from other sources may be available and details can be found on the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC) website.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the income or savings to be derived from the new criteria for Motability vehicles limiting the mileage a lessee can drive before incurring a charge.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We do not have an estimate of the income or savings to be derived from the new mileage criteria. A series of measures were announced in the November 2025 Budget to strike the right balance between delivering a key service for disabled people and fairness to the taxpayer, saving over £1 billion by financial year 2030/31.
Motability Operations is an independent commercial company under contract to Motability to deliver the Motability Scheme. Motability Operations is owned by the four major banks (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, RBS). No ordinary dividends are paid, and all profits are reinvested in the company to benefit Scheme customers or donated to Motability the charity.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what difficulties they are aware of businesses or consumers encountering that arise from the new arrangements for the movement of parcels from Great Britain to Northern Ireland implemented on 1 May 2025.
Answered by Lord Livermore
The Government introduced important new arrangements for freight and parcels movements on 1 May 2025 ensuring goods continue to move smoothly from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The arrangements were successfully implemented without significant impact on flow of goods into Northern Ireland, the new arrangements protect the vast majority of consumer parcels from customs declarations and duty.
HMRC were aware of a small number of cases where express operators charged duty incorrectly on business-to-business parcels. HMRC have worked with express operators and wider industry to minimise these instances.