Asked by: David Nuttall (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33754, on World War 1, what constitutes the extensive efforts referred to which are made to try and identify any recovered remains.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Efforts to try and identify recovered remains, first concentrate on forensic analysis and examination of personal and regimental artefacts found alongside them. If the Regiment is identified, war diaries are reviewed. In addition, liaisons with archivists, historians and individual Service records are examined to aid investigations. If a small group of fallen soldiers with no known graves are identified for comparison, DNA testing may then take place, if required.
Asked by: David Nuttall (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his Department's policy that DNA samples should be taken when the remains of British soldiers who died in World War One are recovered.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
When remains thought to be of a British Serviceman are located, DNA samples may be taken if there is a realistic chance of a positive match to living descendants.
With over 300,000 British and Commonwealth personnel who died in World War One still having no known grave, the chances of one individual being linked to recovered remains alone are extremely remote.
Whilst extensive efforts are made to positively identify any recovered remains, these must first concentrate on forensic analysis of the remains, artefacts and clothing recovered, along with examination of documentary records such as Regimental War Diaries. Only once this work has identified a relatively small group cohort of likely names would DNA testing prove practical.
Asked by: David Nuttall (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which external organisations officials in his Department have met to discuss the consequences of the UK leaving the EU in each of the last three years; and how many meetings such officials have had with each such organisation.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.
The Secretary of State for Defence and Ministry of Defence officials regularly meet with a range of external organisations to discuss the Government's objectives in Europe. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/search?q=Ministerial+meetings+with+external+organisations.
Government Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe.
Asked by: David Nuttall (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many officials in his Department are engaged in research into the effects of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.
The Secretary of State for Defence and Ministry of Defence officials regularly meet with a range of external organisations to discuss the Government's objectives in Europe. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/search?q=Ministerial+meetings+with+external+organisations.
Government Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe.
Asked by: David Nuttall (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which external organisations he has met to discuss the consequences of the UK leaving the EU in each of the last three years; and how many times he has met each such organisation.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.
The Secretary of State for Defence and Ministry of Defence officials regularly meet with a range of external organisations to discuss the Government's objectives in Europe. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/search?q=Ministerial+meetings+with+external+organisations.
Government Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe.