Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department last exercised deploying Army vehicles by rail.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence regularly use rail to move Army vehicles. The most recent use of rail to transport Army vehicles was in Germany in 2023 during Exercise IRON STORM.
In April 2024, Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER will see the British Army use rail to transport vehicles. This movement will occur across multiple countries.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his German counterpart on leaks of discussions among members of that country's armed forces.
Answered by James Heappey
The Secretary of State for Defence held a secure phone call with Boris Pistorius, the German Federal Minister of Defence, on 4 March 2024. They discussed the specifics of the incident itself, and Minister Pistorius set out the steps that Germany is taking to investigate and to prevent future incidents. The investigation itself is a matter for the German Government, but the Secretary of State for Defence has full faith that Germany is handling the matter appropriately. While it is right that we treat this matter very seriously, we must also be very clear that Putin leaked this call in an attempt to drive a wedge between us and weaken the West's collective support for Ukraine; we must not let that happen and we must show that we are united and resolved to support Ukraine for the long term.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to (a) maintain and (b) enhance (i) intelligence-sharing and (ii) security cooperation with (A) Germany and (B) other allies.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK has excellent sovereign capabilities, but these are enhanced and extended by our international alliances. The Government recently published it response to the Intelligence and Security Committee Report on 'International Partnerships', and welcomes the important oversight provided by the Committee. The Ministry of Defence remains committed to broadening and deepening our relationships with Germany and allies, who make an invaluable contribution to the safety and security of the UK.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley of Knighton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Treasury has made any assessment of the economic effect of post-Brexit arrangements for the music industry, including the altered ability of British artists to tour and perform in Europe.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are committed to supporting and promoting a thriving live music industry and ensuring the continued growth of this vital and vibrant sector. The music industry is one of the UK's greatest success stories, producing an extraordinary level of talent recognised and respected the world over.
Since the UK’s exit from the EU, the vast majority of Member States have clarified arrangements or introduced easements to allow visa and work permit free routes for UK performers for some short-term touring. This includes most of the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. It also includes Spain, which changed its position following engagement from the UK Government and industry.
The Government works closely with the sector and continue to engage with the few remaining Member States to improve arrangements or clarify guidance.
The Government is committed to supporting the UK's brilliant artists to adapt to the new arrangements as part of the Creative Industries Sector Vision, that is why we announced that funding for the Music Exports Growth Scheme (MEGS) will be tripled to £3.2 million over the next two years. This will enable touring artists to break into new international markets.
The Government also provides generous support for orchestras to tour through orchestra tax relief, which currently has a rate of 50%. At Spring Budget 2024, the Government announced that orchestras will permanently receive a rate of 45% from 1 April 2025.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make a comparative assessment of energy prices for steel production in (a) the UK, (b) China, (c) Germany and (d) the US.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Comparisons with energy costs in other countries is one of the considerations for the development and introduction of support for energy intensive industries including the steel sector. The British Industry Supercharger will introduce targeted measures to ensure the energy costs for key UK industries are in line with other major economies around the world – levelling the playing field for British companies across Europe. The government is committed to rolling out its measures between April 2024 and April 2025.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to take steps to ensure parity in travel requirements for school groups travelling to the UK from (a) Germany and (b) other EU member states with those from France.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Visitors from outside the EU are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary) and those visiting from EU countries are now expected to do the same.
In implementing changes to document acceptability policy following the UK’s exit from the EU, a full impact assessment was carried out which can be found at the following link: Impact Assessment (publishing.service.gov.uk). This assessment also acknowledged the end of the List of Travellers arrangements.
At the Leaders’ Summit in Paris on 10 March 2023, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France, the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. This agreement is specific to France.
As a result of changes to the Immigration Rules that came into effect on 28 December 2023, we now permit the use of national identity cards for French schoolchildren (aged 18 and under) travelling on organised trips and waive UK visa requirements for their visa national classmates. When travelling, their responsible adults must be in possession of a fully completed and authenticated form listing the participants on the trip. French schools are able to access the form online from gov.uk.
A number of countries in the EU already offer an exemption to visa requirements for children travelling as part of a school trip from the UK, and the details of those countries is published by the EU Commission.
There are no current plans, or ongoing negotiations, to extend the arrangement with France to other countries but, in the context of wider agreements on migration related issues, we would consider negotiating with other countries should they approach us with an interest in making similar arrangements.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps the Government has taken to facilitate travel of school groups from (a) Germany and (b) other EU member states to the UK.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Visitors from outside the EU are expected to hold a passport (and visa where necessary) and those visiting from EU countries are now expected to do the same.
In implementing changes to document acceptability policy following the UK’s exit from the EU, a full impact assessment was carried out which can be found at the following link: Impact Assessment (publishing.service.gov.uk). This assessment also acknowledged the end of the List of Travellers arrangements.
At the Leaders’ Summit in Paris on 10 March 2023, as part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France, the UK committed to ease the travel of school groups to the UK by making changes to documentary requirements for schoolchildren on organised trips from France. This agreement is specific to France.
As a result of changes to the Immigration Rules that came into effect on 28 December 2023, we now permit the use of national identity cards for French schoolchildren (aged 18 and under) travelling on organised trips and waive UK visa requirements for their visa national classmates. When travelling, their responsible adults must be in possession of a fully completed and authenticated form listing the participants on the trip. French schools are able to access the form online from gov.uk.
A number of countries in the EU already offer an exemption to visa requirements for children travelling as part of a school trip from the UK, and the details of those countries is published by the EU Commission.
There are no current plans, or ongoing negotiations, to extend the arrangement with France to other countries but, in the context of wider agreements on migration related issues, we would consider negotiating with other countries should they approach us with an interest in making similar arrangements.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have held with EU countries regarding the introduction of safety and security declaration requirements for EU imports on 31 October, and what were the contents of any such discussions.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Government officials engage regularly with officials from EU Member States to discuss new customs-related requirements, including safety and security declarations. This has included official visits to Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland with further engagement planned for Italy, Spain, Poland and Germany in 2024. Baroness Neville-Rolfe visited Belgium to discuss import controls with the Belgian Government and industry in early February 2024. Partners have been extremely helpful in communicating these requirements using their own stakeholder communication channels, and providing suggestions for further guidance that could be helpful. More formal communication of these changes to EU Member States took place in the Trade Specialised Committee on Customs Cooperation and Rules of Origin, the minutes of which can be found on gov.uk.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 10764, how many times British armed forces personnel have taken part in (a) bilateral and (b) multinational training exercises with (i) Germany, (ii) France, (iii) Italy, (iv) Poland, (v) the Netherlands, (vi) USA and (vii) Spain.
Answered by James Heappey
The information requested is not held centrally. The following has been compiled from sources across the single-Services. It is a ‘best estimate’ based on the available information.
Year | Bilateral | RN | Army | RAF | Multinational | RN | Army* | RAF |
2016 | Germany | 6 | 0 | 0 | Germany | 2 |
| 0 |
France | 4 | 4 | 0 | France | 6 |
| 0 | |
Italy | 0 | 1 | 0 | Italy | 3 |
| 0 | |
Poland | 0 | 0 | 0 | Poland | 1 |
| 0 | |
The Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 0 | The Netherlands | 2 |
| 0 | |
USA | 7 | 15 | 0 | USA | 7 |
| 3 | |
Spain | 0 | 2 | 0 | Spain | 2 |
| 0 | |
2017 | Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | Germany | 2 |
| 0 |
France | 1 | 4 | 0 | France | 9 |
| 0 | |
Italy | 0 | 1 | 0 | Italy | 1 |
| 0 | |
Poland | 0 | 1 | 0 | Poland | 1 |
| 0 | |
The Netherlands | 2 | 0 | 0 | The Netherlands | 3 |
| 0 | |
USA | 3 | 15 | 0 | USA | 12 |
| 3 | |
Spain | 2 | 2 | 0 | Spain | 0 |
| 0 | |
2018 | Germany | 1 | 2 | 0 | Germany | 2 |
| 0 |
France | 4 | 7 | 0 | France | 6 |
| 0 | |
Italy | 1 | 1 | 0 | Italy | 4 |
| 0 | |
Poland | 0 | 1 | 0 | Poland | 2 |
| 0 | |
The Netherlands | 0 | 2 | 0 | The Netherlands | 1 |
| 0 | |
USA | 5 | 19 | 0 | USA | 9 |
| 3 | |
Spain | 1 | 2 | 0 | Spain | 4 |
| 0 | |
2019 | Germany | 0 | 1 | 0 | Germany | 2 |
| 0 |
France | 5 | 9 | 0 | France | 6 |
| 0 | |
Italy | 0 | 1 | 0 | Italy | 3 |
| 0 | |
Poland | 2 | 1 | 0 | Poland | 1 |
| 0 | |
The Netherlands | 1 | 1 | 0 | The Netherlands | 5 |
| 0 | |
USA | 10 | 20 | 0 | USA | 9 |
| 4 | |
Spain | 1 | 2 | 0 | Spain | 3 |
| 0 | |
2020 | Germany | 0 | 0 | 0 | Germany | 0 |
| 0 |
France | 2 | 0 | 0 | France | 3 |
| 0 | |
Italy | 0 | 0 | 0 | Italy | 0 |
| 0 | |
Poland | 0 | 0 | 0 | Poland | 0 |
| 0 | |
The Netherlands | 2 | 0 | 0 | The Netherlands | 3 |
| 0 | |
USA | 6 | 0 | 0 | USA | 7 |
| 6 | |
Spain | 0 | 0 | 0 | Spain | 0 |
| 0 | |
2021 | Germany | 0 | 2 | 0 | Germany | 3 |
| 3 |
France | 5 | 6 | 0 | France | 7 |
| 3 | |
Italy | 1 | 1 | 0 | Italy | 3 |
| 4 | |
Poland | 0 | 1 | 0 | Poland | 2 |
| 0 | |
The Netherlands | 2 | 0 | 0 | The Netherlands | 6 |
| 1 | |
USA | 11 | 21 | 0 | USA | 17 |
| 8 | |
Spain | 0 | 2 | 0 | Spain | 3 |
| 1 | |
2022 | Germany | 0 | 2 | 0 | Germany | 1 |
| 4 |
France | 1 | 7 | 0 | France | 4 |
| 3 | |
Italy | 3 | 0 | 0 | Italy | 1 |
| 3 | |
Poland | 0 | 0 | 0 | Poland | 1 |
| 1 | |
The Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 0 | The Netherlands | 3 |
| 2 | |
USA | 3 | 22 | 0 | USA | 13 |
| 12 | |
Spain | 0 | 3 | 0 | Spain | 3 |
| 2 | |
2023 | Germany | 0 | 4 | 0 | Germany | 2 |
| 2 |
France | 1 | 7 | 0 | France | 9 |
| 3 | |
Italy | 0 | 1 | 0 | Italy | 1 |
| 1 | |
Poland | 0 | 0 | 0 | Poland | 1 |
| 1 | |
The Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 0 | The Netherlands | 3 |
| 1 | |
USA | 5 | 22 | 0 | USA | 15 |
| 10 | |
Spain | 0 | 3 | 0 | Spain | 2 |
| 2 |
* Due to the way in which Army data is held, multinational involvement cannot be readily separated from bilateral. Many of the bilateral exercises listed will be multinational, but the data capture only shows the primary sponsor of the exercise and not the additional participants. Army data from 2020 has been discounted due to uncertainty as to which exercises did or did not take place due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of whether the UK has the necessary facilities to undertake the full spectrum of trials that will be needed to qualify the Challenger 3 main battle tank.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK has the necessary facilities to undertake Challenger 3 trials and most of the trial activity will take place in the UK. The first pre-production vehicle was sent to Germany for a small number of trials that use Rheinmetall proprietary ammunition which would not be cost effective to clear on UK ranges for important but limited trial use. The remainder of the Challenger 3 prototypes will undergo full trialling in the UK, including firing trials.