Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the temporary pier in Gaza to be operational; and whether UK troops will have a role in protecting it.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
In the continued effort to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza a temporary pier is being constructed off the coast to enable delivery as quickly and securely as possible; the US Department of Defense aim to have the pier operational in May 2024. That work is ongoing with the US, Cyprus and other partners. RFA Cardigan Bay has been deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean to provide support to the US personnel working to establish the pier. As of 2 May, UK personnel will not be undertaking roles protecting the pier.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the protection of British troops deployed in the Middle East.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Ministry of Defence constantly reviews its force protection measures to ensure they are appropriate, however, for operational security reasons I cannot comment on the specifics of this activity.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to continue Operation Interflex beyond September 2024.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We continually assess how we can improve our training offer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Operation INTERFLEX remains our main training effort in support of Ukraine and, together with 12 partner nations, we have trained over 39,000 Ukrainian personnel since June 2022. The UK is committed to working with partners to meet Ukraine's training requirements now and in the future.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will support the delivery of aid to Gaza.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
RFA Cardigan Bay has been deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean to provide support to an international effort to build a temporary pier to allow delivery of humanitarian aid directly from the sea into Gaza. This support will involve the provision of accommodation for hundreds of US sailors and soldiers working to establish the pier.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long RFA Cardigan Bay will be deployed to Gaza; and what role the armed forces will play in the construction of the temporary pier.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
RFA Cardigan Bay has been deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean, however, we will not comment on the duration of the deployment. RFA Cardigan Bay does not have a direct role in construction but will provide support to the US personnel working to establish the pier.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what threat assessment he has made of Houthi military capabilities; and whether he has plans for further strikes in Yemen.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK and our allies have responded decisively to the attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea from the Houthis’ dangerous and illegal attacks with limited, necessary and proportionate strike action on Houthi targets in self-defence. Every mission carried out by RAF aircraft is analysed carefully and informed by robust intelligence. We will not comment on operational activity.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the last delivery of aid by the Royal Air Force to Gaza took place; and how frequently aid will be delivered in the coming months.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As of 2 May 2024, the most recent air drop by the RAF took place on 30 April. This brought the total of UK airdrops conducted as part of the Jordanian led mission to ten, delivering over 98 tonnes of vital humanitarian aid to Gaza. The FCDO are the HMG lead for humanitarian aid and its delivery.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will be exempt from the Government's proposed cuts to the civil service to fund the increase in defence spending.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The RFA will continue to recruit until it reaches its agreed full time equivalent headcount and is therefore currently exempt from further reductions in numbers.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the defence procurement system.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department uses a range of measures to assess the effectiveness of defence acquisition. We have reduced the average time taken to deliver our projects and programmes. But we must go further to drive pace. I therefore announced plans for a new Integrated Procurement Model in my oral statement of 28 February 2024 on Defence Acquisition Reform.
A guidance note setting out the key features of the new model was placed in the Library and is available at Integrated Procurement Model: driving pace in the delivery of military capability - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps Veterans UK has taken to support veterans and their families with the cost of living.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence delivers a range of services to Veterans and their families. This includes the administration and payment of Armed Forces pensions and compensation, the provision of tailored advice and assistance through the Veterans Welfare Service, Defence Transition Services and the Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans.