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Written Question
USA: Nuclear Weapons
Monday 14th November 2022

Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the government of the United States to stop developing a sea-based nuclear launch capability, and of the impact of this on the UK’s defence policy.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)

Nuclear capability decisions remain sovereign decisions and so it would be inappropriate for the UK to comment on specifics. We are content that the US Nuclear Posture Review does not contain any negative impacts for UK deterrence or national security.

We welcome the US's continued commitment to the security of the NATO Alliance, and their actions to ensure that the Alliance's nuclear deterrent mission remains credible.

Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 10 Oct 2022
Defence: Type 45 Destroyers

"My Lords, given that India and the UK are currently negotiating a trade agreement, given that the Indians are considering moving procurement away from Russia to the United Kingdom, and given that India has recently launched an aircraft carrier of its own from Kochi, is it under any thought at …..."
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 10 Mar 2022
Ukraine Update

"My Lords, I am sure the Minister will correct me if I am wrong but I believe that issues relating to Ukraine being involved with NATO membership are actually contained in its constitution. That would need to be changed, and it cannot be changed until there is peace.

Grave situations …..."
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 25 Nov 2021
Army Restructuring: Future Soldier

"My Lords, the future size has been referred to. Keeping the peace necessitates preparing for war, with the potential need for rapid escalation. What consideration has been given by planners to the capability to react on parallel fronts, given that this is a regrettable possibility?..."
Viscount Waverley - View Speech

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Written Question
Afghanistan: Refugees
Friday 29th October 2021

Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Afghan interpreters were evacuated during Operation Pitting.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)

From the beginning of the scheme in April 2021 until the final flight of Operation Pitting on 28 August 2021, around 650 Afghans were relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) under category 2 of ARAP.

Around 400 of these were relocated prior to Operation Pitting, as they were identified to be most at risk and were therefore prioritised for relocation. The remaining 250 were relocated during Operation Pitting. This category predominantly consisted of interpreters, but also others in similarly exposed roles such as cultural advisers.

Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 19 Oct 2021
France: AUKUS

"My Lords, the purpose of the AUKUS pact is to ensure stability in Asia-Pacific. What is the strategy in the intervening years, given that the nuclear submarine programme will not be in play until 2040, before which time much can happen? Additionally, has China indicated any conventional or additional proliferation …..."
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 01 Jul 2021
Military Personnel Overseas: Vaccinations

"My Lords, while it is not the Minister’s bag, in addition to the question of UK military personnel serving overseas, is she aware what provision has been made for serving diplomats posted overseas, which we should be offering to reciprocate in London anyway?..."
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Written Question
Mali: Armed Forces
Tuesday 19th January 2021

Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how long they expect members of the British Armed Forces to remain in Mali.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)

The UK has forces in Mali deployed to the UN peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, and the French-led counter-terror operation, Operation BARKHANE. Beyond these operations, the UK also has a small Defence Section based in Bamako with a resident Defence Attaché (DA).

As outlined in the recent Written Ministerial Statement HCWS622, the UK has committed to a three-year deployment to MINUSMA, with a review to be held at the 18-month point.

The UK commitment to Operation BARKHANE was last extended in June 2020. The Government keeps this deployment under review on a continual basis to ensure it supports operations in the most effective way possible.

The UK's resident DA, based in British Embassy Bamako, is in post for a two-year assignment. DA posts are reviewed on an annual basis.

Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 14 Dec 2020
UN Mission in Mali: Armed Forces Deployment

"My Lords, common interest with France, a close ally, is welcome co-operation. The Sahel belt has long been a hotbed of Islamists, separatists and appalling banditry, with recent unrest in Niger and Katsina state in Nigeria, in addition to that in Mali and beyond. The Minister stated that instability could …..."
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 25 Nov 2020
Nuclear Weapons

"Which makes for better policy, and why, when there are force expansions by adversaries in capability, capacity, doctrine and battle-readiness: on the one hand, reinforcing our seat on the Security Council, NATO leverage and special relationship status, or, on the other, recognising our new status as a lesser-tier country but …..."
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