Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 31 January 2024 to Question 11037 on Kenya: Armed Forces, for what other matters £5.253 million in compensation was paid; and when was it paid.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
£5 million was paid in total on a limited liability basis in 2002 and 2003 in relation to two group actions (1,279 claimants) brought by Kenyan nationals who were injured or killed by coming into contact with unexploded ordnance allegedly left on three training ranges in the north of Kenya.
The remaining £253,000 was paid out in 24 claims between 2000 and 2024 for personal injury and included two unexploded ordnance claims unrelated to the group actions, an injury to a Kenyan national on a range and a mix of road traffic and vehicle damage claims.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been paid in compensation in relation to allegations against members of the British Army Training Unit Kenya relating to (a) sexual abuse or violence and (b) other matters between 2000 and 2024.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Between 2000 and 2024 no compensation has been paid relating to allegations against members of the British Army Training Unit Kenya in connection with sexual abuse or violence. There is one open claim that is currently under investigation. A total of £5.253 million compensation has been paid in the same period in relation to other matters.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July to Question 193312 on Sahel: Security, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the potential risks of providing training to the Directorate General of External Research in Cameroon; and whether he has received representations from external stakeholders on this matter.
Answered by James Heappey
The Secretary of State for Defence has not had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs or external stakeholders on this matter.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2023 to Question HL6976 on Sahel: Security, whether his Department has provided (a) technical support and (b) training to the Directorate General of External Research in Cameroon.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK is committed to working with regional allies in West Africa to tackle violent extremism in the Lake Chad Basin. Cameroon is an important partner in this effort. We provide training to the Directorate General of External Research operating in the Far North of Cameroon in order to strengthen their capacity to counter the terrorist threat posed by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor whether armed forces personnel trained by the UK in Cameroon have been transferred to the (a) north west and (b) south west regions of that country.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK is committed to supporting the Government of Cameroon in its efforts to counter the terrorist threat posed by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, which threatens both the region and wider international security. UK training to the Cameroonian military is specifically provided to units that will only be deployed to the far north of Cameroon. Records are kept on all trainees to monitor for any potential diversion of UK-trained units. We keep our security cooperation under constant review.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes in pay differentials between (a) E1 and (b) E2 grade salaries on (i) recruitment and (ii) progression.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In November 2022 the Chancellor announced that the National Living Wage would rise from £9.50 per hour to £10.42 per hour. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) uplifted the affected salaries of staff to ensure compliance with the new rates from April 2023.
This pay rise has affected a number of MOD grades and has led to several grades being paid the same, including Administrative Assistant (AA), Administrative Officer (AO) and Skill Zones 1 and 2 employees. Officials and teams across the department continue to work to understand what this will mean for those in the affected grades and a working group has been set up to consider the impacts of this rise in National Living wage. Any updates will be communicated with all staff in due course.
Whilst Defence is pleased that employees of the Department have received this increase to their pay, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and the Civilian Personnel area appreciate that the compression of our grades will have implications. It is a priority for us to communicate with colleagues directly impacted as soon as possible.
In addition to this, the Government recently published the pay remit guidance which allows departments to make average pay awards up to 4.5% with an additional flexibility to pay up to a further 0.5% targeted at the lowest paid within the Department. An addendum to this pay remit has also been published, inviting departments to provide a one-off payment of £1,500 in recognition of the pressures felt during the 2022-23 pay year. The Department is currently working to understand what this means for Defence in 2023 and updates on this will be communicated to staff at the earliest available opportunity.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the UK will participate in the US Africa Command Justified Accord 23 military exercise in Kenya in February 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK will not be participating in the US Africa Command Exercise Justified Accord 23 in Kenya. The British Army normally participates in this exercise series but this year the US has canceled the elements of the exercise that were due to involve the UK. We will engage with US Africa Command on planning for the next exercise in 2024.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the US and (b) Turkey on (i) the operation of drones in Somalia and (ii) the potential impact of those operations on civilians.
Answered by James Heappey
The Secretary of State has not discussed the operation of drones in Somalia with his US or Turkish counterparts.
The UK advocates at all levels of the Somali Government that military planning for security operations against Al-Shabaab should minimise humanitarian impacts and that all security actors should respect International Humanitarian Law, which includes the protection of civilians.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Maliand (MINUSMA) mandate and other parameters in relation to the (a) availability of air support within MINUSMA with cooperation from authorities in Mali and (b) adequacy of human rights due diligence processes on the (i) safety of UK personnel taking part in missions within MINUSMA and (ii) efficacy in increasing security and preventing abuses of future UK participation in MINUSMA.
Answered by James Heappey
We dynamically review the UK's deployment to MINUSMA including on the basis of risk to personnel, continued ability to deliver against our mission, and issues such as restrictions on movement imposed by the Malian Transitional Authorities. On the basis of those assessments the UK deployment continues. Support from MINUSMA to non-UN security forces in Mali must comply with the UN's Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP). We flag consistently with the UN the importance of strict compliance and regular reporting on its implementation. UK forces are not providing support to the Malian Transitional Authorities, and any potential plans to do so would need to be HRDDP compliant.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the (a) nature and (b) impact on global security of Russian disinformation campaigns in Africa.
Answered by James Heappey
Russian disinformation campaigns in Africa are a significant concern. The Kremlin narrative undermines valuable work being undertaken in counter terrorism and peacekeeping operations and has a destabilising effect. The Ministry of Defence is working closely with other Government Departments - particularly the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the HMG lead - to identify and counter disinformation from Putin's Russia and others.