Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria he uses to determine whether to hold a vote in Parliament on (a) military action and (b) the deployment of defence operations in the Middle East.

Publicising operational activity to Parliament in advance could undermine operational effectiveness and potentially risk the lives of Armed Forces personnel involved. The deployment of the Armed Forces is a prerogative power, and the Government is under no legal obligation to seek Parliamentary approval. However, the Prime Minister and Government Ministers consistently update Parliament through written and oral statements, also through Oral and Topical questions.