Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 September 2019 to Question 290584, whether his Department was aware of the Saudi Press Agency release of 14 September 2018 that stated that an RSLF helicopter crashed on operations in in Al-Mahra province in Yemen.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
We closely monitor the situation in Yemen. The UK Ministry of Defence does not hold an official record of the incident in question.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any of the weapons used in the airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition on Al-Kubra Hall in Sanhan, Yemen on 8 October 2016 were supplied by British companies under licence from the Government.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
This information is not held.The UK is not a member of the Saudi-Led Coalition. We do not have any role in setting Coalition policy, or executing air strikes in Yemen.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any of the aircraft used in the airstrike by the Saudi-led collation on Al-Kubra Hall in Sanhan, Yemen on 8 October 2016 were supplied by British companies under licence from the Government.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
This information is not held.The UK is not a member of the Saudi-Led Coalition. We do not have any role in setting Coalition policy, or executing air strikes in Yemen.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any of the personnel involved in the airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition on Al-Kubra Hall in Sanhan, Yemen on 8 October 2016 had previously received training in international humanitarian law from UK personnel.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
This information is not held.The UK is not a member of the Saudi-Led Coalition. We do not have any role in setting Coalition policy, or executing air strikes in Yemen.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Royal Air Force has plans to (a) airlift and (b) airdrop humanitarian aid to civilians inside the Tanf deconfliction zone in Rukban camp, Southern Syria.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The UK remains immensely concerned about the humanitarian situation in Rukban camp where approximately 41,000 people remain stranded. Air drops do not provide the sustained access that humanitarian actors need to conduct needs assessments, oversee distribution, provide medical treatment and conduct evacuations. Aid delivered by road, by trusted humanitarian partners, including the UN, is by far the best way to deliver aid to hard-to-reach areas such as the Rukban internally displaced person camp. Together with our international partners, we continue to maintain pressure on the regime and its backers to facilitate sustained humanitarian access to the camp and for any movement of camp residents to be safe, voluntary and informed.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many incidents of potential concern on violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen his Department has tracked in each month since January 2018.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
As at 21 January 2019, the number of alleged instances of breaches or violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen listed on the "Tracker" database maintained by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is 409. Of these, 15 are duplicate entries, which means that some incidents will have been recorded on more than one occasion likely because of the incomplete nature of Non-Governmental Organisation and media reporting upon which the MOD relies to update the "Tracker".
The MOD does not assess allegations of IHL violations. The Saudi-led Coalition is best placed to do this and does so through its Joint Incident Assessment Team.
Asked by: Stephen Twigg (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current difference is between the number of serving RAF personnel and the full-time military trained strength of the RAF.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The information requested is routinely published on the Government website. Data from 1 July 2017 can be found at the following link;
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-monthly-service-personnel-statistics-2017