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.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Cobra meetings have been held in response to the build-up of Russian forces on the Ukraine border.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
As a matter of policy, the Government does not comment on COBR meetings.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the carrier strike group will return to the UK.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Carrier Strike Group (CSG) deployment will return to the UK in mid-December. This concludes a seven-month deployment where ships and aircraft from the Group have operated and exercised with over 40 countries, demonstrating our interoperability and commitment to working with allies and partners.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made with General Dynamics to recover taxpayer money from that company if the Ajax programme is terminated.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I refer the Noble Lord to the written statement (HCWS322) made by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin) in the House of Commons on 18 October 2021.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when David Marsh will produce recommendations on the Ajax programme; and when these recommendations will be published.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
David Marsh has been appointed as SRO on the Armoured Cavalry Programme (including Ajax). The MOD is committed to working with General Dynamics to achieve a resolution of outstanding issues. We will not take into service a capability which is not fit for purpose. Mr Marsh has not been commissioned to produce a “report” on Ajax but will in the ordinary course be advising Ministers as the programme evolves.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what involvement the Ministry of Defence has in securing and protecting the UK’s energy supplies; and what is their strategy for that role.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy is responsible for the overall operation and resilience of the UK's domestic energy market. In parallel, defence of the UK and its overseas territories from the malicious intent of our adversaries is the first task of the Ministry of Defence. This extends to being prepared to defend against and counter external hostile threats to our way of life and the delivery of critical services. Our strategy for this is set out in the Defence Command Paper, published on 22 March 2021.