Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is enrolled on any trusted flagger programmes with social media companies.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence is not enrolled on any trusted flagger programmes with social media companies.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39746, what the original purchase cost was of the Voyager aircraft that has been adapted.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Voyager aircraft are not purchased on an individual basis, but are supplied as part of a 27 year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) service, originally signed in March 2008, to provide the Royal Air Force with an air to air refuelling and air transport capability. The total cost of the Voyager PFI service, which includes a fleet of 14 aircraft and associated infrastructure, personnel, maintenance and training costs over this 27 year period is £10.5 billion.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate the Government has made of the cost to the public purse to date of the adaptation of the Voyager aircraft for the transport of senior ministers.
Answered by Philip Dunne
To date the Departmental spend to convert one Voyager aircraft's cabin into an enhanced configuration is £8.9 million out of a total estimated cost of £9.6 million.
The aircraft's primary role will continue to be aircraft refuelling.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has compiled a list of people for targeted killing outside Iraq.
Answered by Michael Fallon
The Prime Minister and I are ready to take military action as a last resort to prevent an imminent terrorist attack on the UK.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the contribution of the hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield of 15 July 2015, Official Report, column 887, what his policy is on deployment of armed drones outside of designated war zones; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The decision to deploy aircraft is taken by Ministers after an assessment has been made on the effect that is required, together with the nature and location of the operation. The policy for the deployment of armed remotely piloted aircraft systems is the same as that for manned aircraft.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2015 to Question 5927, if he will commission a lessons learned post-Afghanistan review to inform future military strategy.
Answered by Michael Fallon
No decisions have yet been taken by the Government on a wider post- Afghanistan review. We have been learning the tactical lessons of our operations in Afghanistan throughout the campaign.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2015 to Question 160 on Afghanistan: armed conflict, if his Department will seek permission from partners to place the report in the Library, redacted as necessary; and whether his Department has commissioned or undertaken any other post-Afghanistan review.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
I can confirm that, following consideration of any operational sensitivities for the UK or partners, we will consult with the US Navy on the potential placement of a redacted version of this report in the Library.
No decisions have yet been taken by the Government on a wider post-Afghanistan review. We remain focused on supporting the National Unity Government of Afghanistan as part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the US has sought permission from his Department to use US bases in the UK in connection with airstrikes in (a) Libya, (b) any other country in North Africa and (c) Yemen.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Permission must be sought in advance of any operation launched from a UK base and must satisfy our legal requirements, but it is not our general policy to give information on the detail of operations conducted by other nations.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government is assisting the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen by the provision of (a) personnel, (b) aircraft, (c) training and (d) any other type of support.
Answered by Michael Fallon
In addition to UK personnel wholly providing support for British-supplied equipment, we have a small number of liaison personnel in Saudi coalition Headquarters, including the Maritime Coalition Co-ordination Centre that supports the enablement of humanatarian aid into Yemen. There are no UK aircraft or training in direct support of Saudi operations. We continue to supply equipment that conforms to our export criteria.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his private Ministerial office spent on (a) tea and coffee, (b) wine, (c) alcoholic refreshments other than wine and (d) bottled water in the last 12 months for which figures are available.
Answered by Michael Fallon
Tea, coffee and bottled water are provided from a central contract and the costs cannot be identified separately. A minimal amount has been spent on gifts of alcohol to visiting foreign dignitaries.