Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many watchkeeper drones the UK has.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 March 2024 to Question 18362 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has been made of trends in the level of army recruitment over the past five years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Army continues to implement a number of measures to improve recruitment and regularly assesses the recruiting environment to ensure that demand can be met. January 2024 saw the highest number of monthly applications for Regular soldiers in over six years.
Key points and trends can be found at the below link within the published Quarterly service personnel statistics:
Quarterly service personnel statistics 1 January 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to engage with schools to help ensure young people are aware of opportunities available to them in the armed forces.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces enjoy good relationships with schools, primarily in terms of engagement to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) curriculum areas but this also extends to careers engagement. The Armed Forces only visit when they have been invited by a school to support activities. The visits cover a range of activities such as career events, citizenship talks, science and maths challenges and other indoor or outdoor exercises.
The Cadet Expansion Programme has focussed on growth in the state sector. Since introduction in 2012, the number of cadet units in state schools has grown by 417% (268 schools). Some new units have also been opened in Independent Schools and here there has been a 12% increase (total 201).
It is important to note that the Armed Forces do not target recruitment activity at under-16s, and no visits to schools by the Armed Forces are directly linked to recruitment, other than specific Careers/Jobs Fairs which generally involve a range of employers. While presentations may be given highlighting the careers available in the Armed Forces, no pupil is ever signed up or able to make a commitment to become a recruit in the Armed Forces during the course of a visit.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of communications between Royal Air Force Quick Reaction Alert Stations in England and Royal Air Force bases in Northern Ireland.
Answered by James Heappey
Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon aircraft based at RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth are kept at a state of constant readiness and can launch within minutes against a threat to any part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what military assistance he is offering to Ukraine to help deter attacks on civilians.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK has provided Ukraine with thousands of short and long-range air defence systems and missiles, including six Stormer vehicles fitted with Starstreak missile launchers and Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) to protect their citizens, front line, and critical national infrastructure.
In December we announced a further package of around 200 air defence missiles to re-supply UK-developed air defence systems.
The UK also continues to galvanise international support, with £900 million having been pledged to the UK-established International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), to assist Ukraine in critical areas, including air defence.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to provide military assistance to help support Ukraine's naval forces in winter 2023-24.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK, alongside Norway, is leading the Maritime Capability Coalition, to support the development of Ukraine's maritime capability. The UK has already trained 950 Ukrainian Marines and is working with coalition members to continue that training. We are working with the international community to develop Ukraine's counter-mine capabilities, and providing shore-to-ship missiles, air defence, and long-range systems. This will help Ukraine keep its shipping lanes clear of Russian mines and enable them to export grain and other commodities vital to their economy and long-term success.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with Veterans UK on veteran homelessness.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Veterans UK is the public facing name given to the administration and payment by the Ministry of Defence of Armed Forces Pensions and the War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Schemes, and Veterans Welfare Service. The brand is being retired because it does not exist as an executive agency or standalone entity, and the continued use of the brand causes confusion as to the role of the Department.
As I said in the House on 8 January 2024 (volume 743, column 11), homelessness is not principally a function of the Ministry of Defence. However, the Veterans Welfare Service, Defence Transition Service and Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans provide holistic transition and welfare information, guidance and support to the Armed Forces Community, which includes that in relation to homelessness where the need is specifically linked to Service. This includes responding to housing enquiries from Service leavers and their families with a housing need, including those at risk of homelessness and who require further, additional transitional support.
The lead for cross Departmental issues effecting Veterans such as homelessness is the Office for Veterans Affairs.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating additional funding for military support for Ukraine.
Answered by James Heappey
We remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s right to be a sovereign, independent and democratic nation.
This is why on 12 January, on his visit to Kyiv, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will provide an additional £2.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine during Financial Year 2024-25, an increase of £200 million on the previous two years.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan people are in the process of being relocated to the UK from Pakistan by his Department as of 8 November 2023; and under what schemes those relocations are taking place.
Answered by James Heappey
As the Minister for Veterans Affairs stated in the House on November 8, the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) plan is to relocate approximately 2,800 Afghans eligible under the Afghan Relocation and Resettlement Policy scheme (ARAP) to the UK by the end of December. Of these, 662 have already safely been relocated to the UK.
The MOD oversees ARAP relocations from Pakistan to the UK, working in partnership with other departments. For the separate Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, flights and travel assistance are arranged by the Home Office and its partners, including the International Organization for Migration.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the alleged incursion by a Russo-Chinese flotilla into US waters; and whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on this matter.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK remains in close coordination with the US on our shared defence and security priorities, including state-based threats and homeland security. It is routine business for each nation state to monitor and protect its own territorial waters in line with international law, as was the case for the US on this issue.