Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK armed forces personnel have been injured during testing of Boxer armoured personnel carriers.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Since placement of the contract for the Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicle in late 2019 there have been no recorded reportable injuries of UK Armed Forces personnel, including during the initial static trials exercises.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to remarks made by Baroness Goldie on 25 November (HL Deb, col 1057), how many regional hubs for army deployment and training are being created; where they are being created; and when they will be operational.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Land Regional Hubs will be established as part of the wider Defence Global Hub concept that will support the delivery of regional Military Strategic Objectives. The Army will capitalise on our pre-existing network of overseas bases in Oman, Kenya, Brunei, Belize and Germany, integrating with and augmenting the existing global network for Defence.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to remarks made by Baroness Goldie on 25 November (HL Deb, col 1057), what electromagnetic capabilities are being developed for use by the army; and when they will be operational.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Army is working with the capability sponsors in Strategic Command to develop a modern range of capabilities, which will allow all ground-based forces to safely operate within and exploit the electromagnetic spectrum. The capabilities under development fall into three categories: the first category will enhance our ability to understand our adversaries’ information and capabilities. The second will improve our ability to counter electronic threats to the deployed force, whilst the third will enhance our ability to deliver electronic attack against adversarial targets.
These capabilities will contribute a critical part of delivery of the Integrated Force Structure ready by 2030 as outlined in Future Soldier.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK armed forces personnel have been injured during testing of Challenger 3.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Since placement of the contract for the programme in March 2021 there have been no recorded reportable injuries of UK Armed Forces personnel in relation to Challenger 3.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK armed forces personnel have been injured by challenger tanks in each year from 2016 to 2021; and what injuries were sustained.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
From 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2021, two UK Armed Forces personnel died and 80 were injured as a result of incidents relating to a Challenger armoured vehicle. The incidents identified include the Challenger battle tank as well as the Challenger Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle (CRARRV).
Table 1: UK armed forces personnel injured in incidents relating to a Challenger Armoured Vehicle, by financial year
1 April 2016 to 31 March 2021
Injury Type | Count |
2016-17 | 18 |
2017-18 | 21 |
2018-19 | 10 |
2019-20 | 15 |
2020-21 | 16 |
Source: Defence Statistics Health
Table 2: UK armed forces injured in incidents relating to a challenger armoured vehicle
1 April 2016 to 31 March 2021
Injury Type | Number |
Superficial Injury (e.g. bruise) | 8 |
Crush | 12 |
Cut / Laceration | 12 |
Fracture | 10 |
Pain | 10 |
Muscle Spasm / Muscle Strain | 6 |
Other1 | 22 |
Source: Defence Statistics Health
1In line with JSP 200, this category combines injuries where the number was fewer than three in order to protect individual identities.
Note the numbers in this response include incidents where an injury occurred e.g. due to a person slipping or falling off the tank or performing maintenance of the tank
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK armed forces personnel have been injured by warrior vehicles in each year from 2016 to 2021; and what injuries were sustained.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
From 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2021, 110 UK Armed Forces personnel were injured as a result of an incident relating to a Warrior armoured vehicle.
Table 1: UK armed forces personnel injured in incidents relating to a Warrior Armoured Vehicle, by financial year
1 April 2016 to 31 March 2021
Injury Type | Count |
2016-17 | 20 |
2017-18 | 23 |
2018-19 | 23 |
2019-20 | 30 |
2020-21 | 14 |
Source: Defence Statistics Health
Table 2: UK armed forces personnel injured in incidents involving a Warrior Armoured Vehicle, by injury type
1 April 2016 to 31 March 2021
Injury Type | Number |
Superficial Injury (e.g. bruise) | 15 |
Crush | 10 |
Cut / Laceration | 14 |
Fracture | 10 |
Pain | 19 |
Muscle Spasm / Muscle Strain | 9 |
Other1 | 20 |
Not Specified | 13 |
Source: Defence Statistics Health
1In line with JSP 200, this category combines injuries where the number was fewer than three in order to protect individual identities.
Note the numbers in this response include incidents where an injury occurred e.g. due to a person slipping or falling off the tank or performing maintenance of the tank.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British Navy vessels have been sent to the Black Sea in response to the build-up of Russian forces on the Ukraine border; and what type of vessels have been sent.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
No Royal Navy vessels have been sent to the Black Sea as a response to the build-up of Russian forces on the Ukraine border.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British armed forces personnel have been sent to (1) Poland, (2) Lithuania, (3) Latvia, and (4) Estonia, in response to the build-up of Russian forces on the Ukraine border.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
As part of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence, the UK already has 850 service personnel in Estonia, where we are the framework nation and 130 in Poland in support of the US battlegroup. No additional personnel have been sent to either Poland, Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia in response to the build-up of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will issue a tender for a new medium helicopter to replace the Puma.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
It is the Department's expectation that the procurement of the New Medium Helicopter will be subject to competition. The formal acquisition process has not started and the timescales for the issue of any tender are subject to agreement of both the Key User Requirements and the approvals process.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many briefings the Secretary of State for Defence has received on the build-up of Russian forces on the Ukraine border.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Secretary of State for Defence receives regular updates on the situation in Ukraine, especially in light of his recent visit to Kiev. We have significant concerns about Russia's aggressive pattern of military build-ups on Ukraine's border and in illegally-annexed Crimea. We remain clear that Russia's threatening and destabilising behaviour is unacceptable. We will continue to monitor events on the ground closely and call on Russia, alongside our Allies and Partners, to adhere to its international obligations and commitments.