Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in what languages he plans to display electronic road signs on road closures on A-roads and motorways.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Using foreign languages on Variable Message Signs (VMS) to provide roadworks information was piloted in early 2019 for a limited time on the M6 and A66 in Cumbria. There are no current plans to roll out the use of foreign languages on VMS in any other parts of the country.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department plans to spend on displaying electronic road signs in foreign languages on A-roads and motorways.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Using foreign languages on Variable Message Signs (VMS) to provide roadworks information was piloted in early 2019 for a limited time on the M6 and A66 in Cumbria. There are no current plans to roll out the use of foreign languages on VMS in any other parts of the country.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which parts of the UK his Department plans to install road signs on road closures in foreign languages.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Using foreign languages on Variable Message Signs (VMS) to provide roadworks information was piloted in early 2019 for a limited time on the M6 and A66 in Cumbria. There are no current plans to roll out the use of foreign languages on VMS in any other parts of the country.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Black Hornet drones the British Army (a) possesses and (b) has deployed in active service.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Army first purchased 160 Black Hornet 1 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in 2011 as part of a £20 million contract with FLIR UAS (formerly Prox Dynamics). The systems were used on operations in Afghanistan, but that capability has since been phased out. In 2019 the Army purchased 90 of the upgraded Black Hornet 3 UAS at a contract value of £1.7 million. There is no intention to deploy the capability on operations at this time.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much her Department has spent on the acquisition of Black Hornet drones.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Army first purchased 160 Black Hornet 1 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in 2011 as part of a £20 million contract with FLIR UAS (formerly Prox Dynamics). The systems were used on operations in Afghanistan, but that capability has since been phased out. In 2019 the Army purchased 90 of the upgraded Black Hornet 3 UAS at a contract value of £1.7 million. There is no intention to deploy the capability on operations at this time.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Emirati military personnel based in Yemen in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 9 July 2019.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
There has been a downward trajectory in the number of Emirati military personnel based in Yemen since 2017. Our Emirati counterparts have recently expressed their commitment to the phased and partial redeployment of troops from Yemen as part of their strategy moving away from a military led to a more politically led action. In this context they have also made clear their support for the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and UN-led peace process.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has held with his Emirati counterpart on the withdrawal of their military forces from Yemen; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are aware of reports that the United Arab Emirates has begun withdrawing its forces from Hodeidah and welcome all efforts to de-escalate the conflict in Yemen. We call on the Yemeni parties to cooperate with the UN to implement the Hodeidah Agreement and work towards a resolution of this brutal conflict.
We have been clear that a political settlement is the only lasting solution to the Yemen conflict. It is crucial that all parties implement agreements made in Stockholm and continue to engage with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and the UN-led political process. During the meeting of the Yemen Quad on 22 June, representatives of the UK, US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reiterated their support for UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and the peace process.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has held with his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the withdrawal of Emirati troops from Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are aware of reports that the United Arab Emirates has begun withdrawing its forces from Hodeidah and welcome all efforts to de-escalate the conflict in Yemen. We call on the Yemeni parties to cooperate with the UN to implement the Hodeidah Agreement and work towards a resolution of this brutal conflict.
We have been clear that a political settlement is the only lasting solution to the Yemen conflict. It is crucial that all parties implement agreements made in Stockholm and continue to engage with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and the UN-led political process. During the meeting of the Yemen Quad on 22 June, representatives of the UK, US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reiterated their support for UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and the peace process.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number and size of armed groups trained by the UAE in Yemen since the beginning of 2015.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The complex situation on the ground makes it difficult to assess the number and size of armed groups trained by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Yemen. We are however aware of UAE media reporting quoting a UAE official statement claiming the Emiratis had trained 90,000 Yemeni government fighters.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions she held with Government leaders on the situation in Yemen at the G20 Summit in Japan on 28-29 June 2019.
Answered by Theresa May
I refer the right hon. Member to my statement on 29 June at the G20 summit, which is available at the gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-statement-at-the-g20-summit-29-june-2019 .