Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
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 introducing specific (a) Sikh and (b) Jewish options for a person’s ethnic group in data collection conducted by his Department.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) adheres to the guidance provided by Civil Service Statistics which records Sikh and Jewish under the classification of religion. The MOD’s Biannual Diversity statistics are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-index
Public bodies usually collect ethnicity data in line with the ethnicity harmonised standard, which is developed by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). The current harmonised ethnicity standard is based on the 2011 Census questions used across the UK; those questions were updated for the 2021 and 2022 Censuses. The current standard does not include specific “Sikh” and “Jewish” categories for a person’s ethnic group. The ONS is reviewing the harmonised standard to ensure this remains appropriate and meets the needs of both data users and respondents. This will include a public consultation later this year and we await the outcome of this review.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
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 increasing levels of defence spending on levels of (a) Government funding and (b) private sector investment in Birmingham, Edgbaston constituency.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the significant contribution Birmingham, Edgbaston and the wider West Midlands plays to the UK economy and to supporting our national security. While the MOD does not allocate spending to specific regions, the Government has been clear that the increase in spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027 will support highly skilled jobs and apprenticeships across the whole of the UK.
The Defence Industrial Strategy will seek to further unlock the potential offered across the nations and regions of the UK to ensure a high growth economy. The Statement of Intent published in December 2024 also identified the “crowding-in” of private sector investment as critical to the Government’s imperatives of both national security and a high growth economy. We are continuing to explore how we can create the conditions needed for the private sector to invest more, and proactively, in Defence, consulting with a wide range of defence and financial services stakeholders.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the defence sector in (a) Birmingham, Edgbaston, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands to the UK economy.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Ministry of Defence generally holds data at a regional level and, therefore, cannot make this kind of assessment for either Edgbaston or Birmingham specifically.
However, the defence sector in the West Midlands makes a significant contribution to the UK economy. In 2023-24, Ministry of Defence expenditure with UK industry and commerce totalled £1.6 billion , including a spend of £137 million with small and medium sized enterprises, in the West Midlands. In 2022-23, Ministry of Defence expenditure supported approximately 7,100 direct jobs with industry in the West Midlands.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the Humanitarian Assistance Task Force of 1,000 soldiers has not been deployed to assist in Ukraine and the surrounding region as of 14 March 2022.
Answered by James Heappey
234 soldiers are deployed to Poland in support of the Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. They are assisting in building resilience in the United Kingdom's consular and immigration facilities. The remainder of the Humanitarian Assistance Task Force remains at high readiness to deploy if required.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2020 to Question 59846 on Ministry of Defence: Overseas Aid, which planned activities funded by ODA cannot be delivered during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by James Heappey
The majority of Ministry of Defence's Official Develpment Assistance spend relates to defence education, both courses delivered by UK teams deployed overseas, and attendance of foreign students on UK-based courses. Restrictions on travel and public gatherings around the world have meant that many courses have been cancelled, and international attendance on other courses has reduced. In some cases, course have been delivered by alternative, virtual methods at reduced cost. A re-training programme for locally employed civilian staff in Afghanistan has also been impacted by closure of educational institutions within the country.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the criteria his Department plans to use for prioritising Official Development Assistance spending in the event of a decrease in GNI.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence's Official Development Assistance spend is already reducing where some planned activity cannot be delivered during the current pandemic. Should it be necessary to make further reductions, we will protect those programmes which have the greatest impact on development objectives.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department's share of the Official Development Assistance will be reduced in the event of a decrease in GNI.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK has a legal commitment to spend 0.7% of its gross national income each year on Official Development Assistance (ODA). ODA budgetary allocations to Departments are decided by HM Treasury.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is signing new funding agreements for projects from the Official Development Assistance budget.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Official Development Assistance programmes are delivered primarily using MOD assets and personnel, and do not involve funding agreements with external delivery partners.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the military pension and the interaction of that pension with other state benefits in the provision of financial support to veterans on low incomes.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a good working relationship with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), ensuring there is effective and efficient interaction between benefits; there is no evidence that veterans are disadvantaged by current arrangements. The MOD took over administration of the War Pension Scheme (WPS) from DWP in 2000; it is currently delivered by Veterans UK (part of Defence Business Services). The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) provides recompense for Service-related injuries sustained since 2005; in 2013 this introduced the Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) in conjunction with the DWP. It simplifies financial support for seriously injured Service Personnel, providing payments equivalent to DWP’s Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Those entitled to a Guaranteed Income Payment of 50 per cent or higher through the AFCS are eligible for AFIP but cannot simultaneously receive PIP. Those receiving payments from WPS or the AFCS face no reduction to their Universal Credit.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
As at 31 December 2018, the recorded number of personnel who had declared the Sikh faith under the category 'Religion' or 'Faith' is:
Civilian Personnel 130
Regular/Reserve Military Personnel 270
It is not mandatory for personnel to declare their ethnicity and religion, and figures should therefore not be considered definitive. Sikh is recorded as a religion not an ethnic group.