Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate his Department has made of the manpower requirements that will be required for the UK's enhanced forward presence in Estonia.
Answered by James Heappey
The requirement for the UK's enhanced Forward Presence is based on capabilities, not personnel numbers. As agreed at the NATO summit in Madrid, the UK has pledged a number of contributions to enhance our enduring commitment to Estonia. The UK's future force posture in Estonia will be comprised of a rotational permanent Battlegroup, an enhanced Headquarters, and surge deployments of additional personnel and capabilities throughout the year, including on exercise SPRING STORM in May. As the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup is a rotational deployment, the number of people associated with the tasking will increase and decrease throughout the year. It is currently comprised of 994 UK personnel, and will rise to c.1020 when the Battlegroup rotates in March. Our eFP HQ will be enhanced in 2023, bringing the total number of personnel deployed in the HQ to around 35. In addition to the Force Elements deployed forward to Estonia, the UK will hold the balance of a brigade at high readiness in the UK, ready to reinforce in the region as required by SACEUR.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of (a) the size of the Army's current stockpiles of artillery shells and (b) the Army's ability to fulfil the UK's NATO commitments to allies such as Estonia.
Answered by James Heappey
The Army continually manages and reviews all of its stocks of weapons and munitions. Due to the classification of these assessments, it is inappropriate to give the detail in this forum.
We remain fully committed to collective defence through NATO and other multinational readiness forces, as demonstrated by our deployments to Estonia and the announcement, at the NATO Summit in Madrid, of the 1* UK Headquarters in Estonia.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2022 to Question 40929 on Dogs: Imports, if he will publish a breakdown of the countries of origin of the dogs commercially imported into the UK from abroad in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Below are tables to show the countries of origin of commercial dog imports. The data for 2020 is for the UK, while the data for 2021 and 2022 (up to 31 August 2022) is for Great Britain only. We do not hold data for Northern Ireland for 2021 and 2022.
This information is drawn from external TRACES and IPAFF systems not directly controlled by the department.
Country Of Origin from EU 2020 | Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2020 |
Austria | Antigua and Barbuda |
Belgium | Argentina |
Bulgaria | Australia |
Croatia | Bahrain |
Cyprus | Barbados |
Czech Republic | Belarus |
Denmark | Bermuda |
Estonia | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Finland | Brazil |
France | Canada |
Germany | Cayman Islands |
Greece | Colombia |
Hungary | Costa Rica |
Ireland (Rep. of) | Egypt |
Italy | Ethiopia |
Latvia | French Polynesia |
Lithuania | Hong Kong |
Malta | India |
Netherlands | Indonesia |
Poland | Israel |
Portugal | Japan |
Romania | Jordan |
Slovakia | Kenya |
Slovenia | Korea (South) |
Spain | Kuwait |
Sweden | Lebanon |
Switzerland | Macao |
| |
| Malawi |
| Malaysia |
| Mauritius |
| Mexico |
| Namibia |
| New Zealand |
| Nigeria |
| North Macedonia |
| Oman |
| Peru |
| Philippines |
| Qatar |
| Russia |
| Saudi Arabia |
| Serbia |
| Singapore |
| South Africa |
| Sri Lanka |
| Taiwan |
| Tajikistan |
| Thailand |
| Turkey |
| Turks and Caicos |
| UAE |
| Uganda |
| Ukraine |
| Uruguay |
| USA |
| Vietnam |
| Zimbabwe |
Country Of Origin from EU 2021 | Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2021 |
Austria | Argentina |
Belgium | Australia |
Bulgaria | Bahamas |
Croatia | Bahrain |
Cyprus | Barbados |
Czechia | Belarus |
Denmark | Bermuda |
Estonia | Brazil |
Finland | Canada |
France | Cayman Islands |
Germany | China |
Greece | Colombia |
Hungary | Costa Rica |
Iceland | Ecuador |
Italy | Egypt |
Latvia | Ethiopia |
Lithuania | Guam |
Luxembourg | Hong Kong |
Malta | India |
Netherlands | Indonesia |
Northern Ireland | Israel |
Norway | Jamaica |
Poland | Japan |
Portugal | Jordan |
Republic of Ireland | Kenya |
Romania | Kuwait |
Slovakia | Lebanon |
Slovenia | Macao |
Spain | Malawi |
Sweden | Malaysia |
Switzerland | Mauritius |
| Mexico |
| Mozambique |
| Namibia |
| Nepal |
| New Zealand |
| Nigeria |
| Oman |
| Panama |
| Peru |
| Philippines |
| Qatar |
| Russian Federation |
| Saudi Arabia |
| Serbia |
| Singapore |
| South Africa |
| South Korea |
| Taiwan |
| Thailand |
| Turkey |
| Ukraine |
| United Arab Emirates |
| United States of America |
| Viet Nam |
| Zimbabwe |
Country Of Origin from EU 2022 | Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2022 |
Austria | Albania |
Belgium | Algeria |
Bulgaria | Australia |
Croatia | Bahrain |
Cyprus | Barbados |
Czech Republic | Bermuda |
Denmark | Brazil |
Estonia | Brunei |
Finland | Canada |
France | Cayman Islands |
Germany | Chile |
Greece | China |
Hungary | Colombia |
Isle of Man | Costa Rica |
Ireland (Rep. of) | Dominican Republic |
Italy | Ecuador |
Latvia | Egypt |
Lithuania | Fiji |
Luxembourg | Hong Kong |
Netherlands | India |
Northern Ireland | Indonesia |
Norway | Israel |
Poland | Japan |
Portugal | Jordan |
Romania | Kenya |
Slovakia | Korea (South) |
Slovenia | Kuwait |
Spain | Lebanon |
Sweden | Malaysia |
Switzerland | Mauritius |
| Mexico |
| Namibia |
| New Zealand |
| Nigeria |
| Oman |
| Panama |
| Peru |
| Philippines |
| Qatar |
| Russia |
| Saint Lucia |
| Saudi Arabia |
| Singapore |
| South Africa |
| Sri Lanka |
| Taiwan |
| Thailand |
| Turkey |
| UAE |
| Uganda |
| Ukraine |
| USA |
| Vietnam |
| Zimbabwe |
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will reassess the potential merits of turning Operation Cabrit into a medal awarding operational deployment.
Answered by James Heappey
Operation CABRIT, like all operations, is kept under continuous review for medallic recognition and, if the situation was assessed to have changed, the case for medallic recognition could be made by the operational commander for review by the Permanent Joint Headquarters-led Operations Recognition Board. They would in turn make any recommendations through the Chiefs of Staff to Defence Ministers.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the UK’s obligations to NATO are fulfilled.
Answered by James Heappey
NATO remains the cornerstone of the UK's defence and security and we stand by our unwavering commitment to collective defence under to Article 5. of the Washington Treaty.
Our Defence budget is currently the largest of any European Ally, with the UK exceeding its commitments under NATO's Defence Investment Pledge to spend 2% of GDP on defence.
We send Armed Forces personnel to participate in every NATO operation and mission. RAF fast jets are conducting NATO air policing, Royal Navy warships patrol the High North and Eastern Mediterranean in NATO deployments and the British Army defends NATO's Eastern Flank in Estonia. Our nuclear deterrent also makes a key contribution to Euro-Atlantic security.
At the NATO Summit, the UK confirmed its forward leaning offer to NATO's future New Force Model, making available more fighter jets, almost all of the Royal Navy, including Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, and more brigade-sized land forces. The UK also played a leading role in shaping NATO's new Strategic Concept to ensure the Alliance continues to adapt to future challenges.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel are deployed abroad to fulfil the UK's NATO obligations; and which countries those personnel have been deployed to.
Answered by James Heappey
As the leading European Ally, the UK sends Armed Forces personnel to participate in every NATO operation and mission. At present, 936 are deployed on NATO activity in Estonia, 198 in Romania, 129 in Poland, 37 in Kosovo, and 24 in Iraq. This month the UK also has approximately 700 additional personnel on NATO exercises and operations contributing across Land, Air, and Sea.
In addition, UK personnel are engaged in other NATO activity in countries across the Alliance: the table below details those personnel.
Country | Number of Personnel |
Belgium | 243 |
France | 11 |
USA | 54 |
Italy | 174 |
Spain | 18 |
Germany | 156 |
Norway | 34 |
Turkey | 40 |
Portugal | 20 |
Netherlands | 111 |
Bulgaria | 1 |
Estonia | 1 |
Latvia | 4 |
Lithuania | 1 |
Romania | 3 |
Poland | 6 |
Greece | 1 |
Slovakia | 1 |
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of the extra 1,000 troops for Estonia announced by the Government at the 2022 NATO Madrid Summit will be made up of reservists.
Answered by James Heappey
At the NATO Madrid summit the UK offered a number of contributions to NATO’s strengthened defence posture. We did not announce an extra 1,000 troops for Estonia, rather that we will allocate the balance of a full combat brigade held at high readiness for rapid reinforcement across Estonia and the Baltic region, as required by SACEUR. Reservists make an important contribution to our operational force generation mechanism and will make up a critical element of any deployment. Due to the rotational nature of forces held at high readiness, the exact number will change with each rotation. Additionally, the UK is making a substantial contribution to the Alliance’s New Force Model. We are significantly increasing the availability of UK forces to NATO so it can plan for all eventualities; this will include almost all of our Maritime forces, extra Fighter Air Squadrons and an increased number of Land Brigade-sized units. These forces will be comprised of both Regulars and Reservists, but the exact composition is yet to be determined.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the extra 1,000 UK troops for Estonia announced by the Government at the 2022 NATO Madrid Summit will include reservists.
Answered by James Heappey
At the NATO Madrid summit the UK offered a number of contributions to NATO’s strengthened defence posture. We did not announce an extra 1,000 troops for Estonia, rather that we will allocate the balance of a full combat brigade held at high readiness for rapid reinforcement across Estonia and the Baltic region, as required by SACEUR. Reservists make an important contribution to our operational force generation mechanism and will make up a critical element of any deployment. Due to the rotational nature of forces held at high readiness, the exact number will change with each rotation. Additionally, the UK is making a substantial contribution to the Alliance’s New Force Model. We are significantly increasing the availability of UK forces to NATO so it can plan for all eventualities; this will include almost all of our Maritime forces, extra Fighter Air Squadrons and an increased number of Land Brigade-sized units. These forces will be comprised of both Regulars and Reservists, but the exact composition is yet to be determined.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK troops are deployed to Estonia as part of the UK's NATO contribution to the Enhanced Forward Presence as of 29 June 2022.
Answered by James Heappey
As of 29 June 2022 there are 833 members of the UK Armed Forces deployed to Estonia as part of the UK's contribution to enhanced Forward Presence. Additionally, the UK has deployed a further 652 personnel to Estonia on a bilateral basis.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating permanent garrisons in Eastern Europe in collaboration with allies outside of the already existing Nato enhanced forward presence.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK is the Framework Nation for NATO's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Estonia, currently providing a permanent Headquarters and two Battle Groups to Estonia. UK Personnel are also deployed in the US led eFP in Poland. NATO leaders have agreed to strengthen the Alliance's deterrence and defence posture, and the forthcoming NATO summit will bolster the Eastern flank and ensure every inch of allied territory is defended. Permanent personnel contributions to NATO countries will be considered by Allies as NATO's Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA) is developed, and any contributions will be aligned with SACEUR's regional plans. The UK will continue to work and exercise extensively with Eastern European Allies and partners going forward, both through NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force.