Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made to develop the Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence is developing a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Taskforce to provide a clear, trauma-informed and survivor-centred approach to tackling sexual harassment and abuse, simplifying access to support and strengthening partnerships with NHS Sexual Assault Referral Centres, local authorities and specialist charities. We have identified two regional locations that will each have a small team of specialised posts dedicated to delivering initiatives focussed on prevention, education and support; these have an anticipated pilot launch date of December 2025.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to monitor the impact of the data breach relating to the Afghan relocations and assistance policy on the human rights of those listed in the leaked data including (a) those of Afghan nationality, (b) their families and (c) British officials.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As recognised by the Rimmer Review, the human rights picture in Afghanistan was dire, prior to and regardless of the data loss incident, which occurred under the previous Government.
However, while Afghanistan remains a dangerous place, the Rimmer Review does conclude that it is "highly unlikely" that merely being on the dataset would be grounds for targeting, and that it is unlikely that family members will be targeted simply because the principal appears in the dataset. It also concludes that the dataset is unlikely to substantially change an individual's existing exposure given the volume of data already available to the Taleban and the fact that links to the former Government are widely known.
It is worth noting that in a small number of cases, the names of British officials have been named on the dataset. The risk to these individuals, who are in the UK, is considered to be extremely low. The Ministry of Defence continues to make all reasonable efforts to contact those affected to provide security advice and support.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 59473 on Israel: Military Aid, how many IDF personnel are (a) currently enrolled in (b) have been enrolled on UK run combat courses in each of the last three years.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No IDF personnel have enrolled on UK run combat courses in the last three years.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56822 on Israel: Military Aid, if he will make it his policy to stop this training.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence keeps under careful consideration its policies on training being provided.
Fewer than five IDF personnel are currently enrolled in non-combat military academic courses in the UK.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with representatives of the Five Eyes on the potential implications for that community of President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to appoint Tulsi Gabbard as US Director of National Intelligence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The US is our closest security ally and, as you would expect, we maintain an open and ongoing dialogue on a range of defence issues. The intelligence we share bilaterally and through alliances such as the Five Eyes is fundamental to our own national security.