Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) full military titles and (b) names of the Burmese military personnel that visited the UK to undertake the course entitled Managing Defence in a Wider Security Context in 2014.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The personal details of individuals who have attended UK defence training courses in the past constitutes personal data that cannot be released.
In September 2017 the UK announced the suspension of its programme of practical defence cooperation with Burma, including the suspension of all defence educational training courses, until there is an acceptable resolution to the situation in Rakhine. The UK's previous programme of defence cooperation and training focused on governance, accountability, ethics, human rights and international law training. It did not include any form of combat training for the Burmese military.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) full military titles and (b) names of the Burmese military personnel that visited the UK to undertake UK Government funded defence educational training courses in 2016.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The personal details of individuals who have attended UK defence training courses in the past constitutes personal data that cannot be released.
In September 2017 the UK announced the suspension of its programme of practical defence cooperation with Burma, including the suspension of all defence educational training courses, until there is an acceptable resolution to the situation in Rakhine. The UK's previous programme of defence cooperation and training focused on governance, accountability, ethics, human rights and international law training. It did not include any form of combat training for the Burmese military.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) full military titles and (b) names of the Burmese military personnel that visited the UK to undertake UK Government funded defence educational training courses in 2017.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The personal details of individuals who have attended UK defence training courses in the past constitutes personal data that cannot be released.
In September 2017 the UK announced the suspension of its programme of practical defence cooperation with Burma, including the suspension of all defence educational training courses, until there is an acceptable resolution to the situation in Rakhine. The UK's previous programme of defence cooperation and training focused on governance, accountability, ethics, human rights and international law training. It did not include any form of combat training for the Burmese military.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he had seen prior to the publication of the estimated figures of £17 billion to £20 billion for the cost of the maximum facilitation model in a letter to that Committee on 5 June 2018 (a) submissions and (b) briefing papers on those figures; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.
Answered by Gavin Williamson
The analysis to support the estimated £17-20 billion figure was published in a letter by the Chief Executive of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to the Treasury Select Committee on 5 June, 2018.
The Government is considering two approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU: a 'new customs partnership' and a 'highly streamlined customs arrangement'. Ongoing analysis continues to support the development of both models.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of HMRC of 23 May and 5 June 2018 to the Treasury Committee, whether he has seen briefing papers on the estimated figures of £17-20 billion on the costs of the maximum facilitation model; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of those estimates.
Answered by Gavin Williamson
The analysis to support the estimated £17-20 billion figure was published in a letter by the Chief Executive of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to the Treasury Select Committee on 5 June 2018.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason British military personnel participated in the Cobra Gold joint military exercise to which members of the Myanmar military also attended.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The UK provided two staff officers to support the execution of a Multinational deployment plan during the Command Post Exercise of Exercise COBRA GOLD 2018. This was on the specific invitation of the event organisers - the Royal Thai Armed Forces and US Pacific Command - and was in support of our ongoing Defence Engagement programme with Thailand.
We understand that Myanmar was offered three places for non-participating observers for the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief phase of the exercise.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he made representations to seek to prevent the (a) attendance and (b) participation of members of the Myanmar military at the Cobra Gold joint military exercise in February 2018; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
COBRA GOLD is not a UK-led exercise and thus decisions about invitees are not for the UK. We understand that Myanmar was offered three places for non-participating observers for the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief phase of the exercise. The Defence Secretary did not make any representations pertaining to Myanmar's attendance as non-participating observers.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the attendance of members of the Myanmar military at the recent Cobra Gold joint military exercise.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Cobra Gold is not a UK-led exercise and thus decisions about invitees are not for the UK.