Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of his Department's personnel are deployed around the world; and in which locations those people are stationed.
Answered by James Heappey
The following table details the number of personnel deployed overseas on operations and their location. The numbers change depending on operational requirements, but are accurate at the time of answering the hon. Member's question.
Location | Number of UK military deployed | Number of civilians deployed | Total number of military and civilians deployed |
Egypt | 2 | 0 | 2 |
HMS Montrose | 180 | 2 | 182 |
HMS Penzance | 41 | 0 | 41 |
HMS Chiddingfold | 45 | 0 | 45 |
RFACardigan Bay | 0 | 0 | 0 |
HMS Middleton | 45 | 0 | 45 |
HMS Bangor | 36 | 0 | 36 |
HMS Trent | 61 | 0 | 61 |
HMS Spey | 46 | 0 | 46 |
HMS Tamar | 75 | 0 | 75 |
AbuDhabi (British Embassy) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Bahrain | 188 | 2 | 190 |
Cyprus | 214 | 6 | 220 |
Oman | 18 | 0 | 18 |
Qatar | 132 | 0 | 132 |
UAE | 110 | 0 | 110 |
USA | 23 | 1 | 24 |
Baghdad(British Embassy) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Iraq | 189 | 3 | 192 |
Jordan | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Kuwait | 51 | 3 | 54 |
TelAviv(British Embassy) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Saudi Arabia | 24 | 0 |
|
Azerbaijan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pakistan(British High Commission) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Pakistan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Gibraltar | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Mali | 464 | 5 | 469 |
Democratic Republic of Congo | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Kenya | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Somalia | 69 | 0 | 69 |
Djibouti | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Tunisia(British Embassy) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Chad | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Nigeria | 27 | 0 | 27 |
South Sudan | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Estonia | 1,372 | 14 | 1,386 |
Germany | 81 | 2 | 83 |
Latvia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Lithuania | 89 | 0 | 89 |
Poland | 414 | 3 | 417 |
Bosnia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Kosovo | 41 | 0 | 41 |
Ukraine | 97 | 0 | 97 |
Romania | 197 | 1 | 198 |
Bulgaria | 2 | 0 | 2 |
North Macedonia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Slovakia | 43 | 0 | 43 |
Finland | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Sweden | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Japan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Indonesia | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Kuala Lumpur | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Lebanon (British Embassy) | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Ghana | 25 | 0 | 25 |
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, how many dogs were imported under the Balai Directive in each month of (a) 2021 and (b) 2022 to date; and from which country did these dogs originate.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Since we left the EU, the EU import data was collated from the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) Post Import Management System and accounts for all Imports that have been entered using IPAFFS (Import of products, animals, food and feed system).
The information that we have provided is a true reflection of the information that we have access to. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data, as we can only rely on the information that has been input into IPAFFS by traders.
APHA only holds data on GB imports.
From 14 April 2022 Great Britain temporarily suspended the commercial import of dogs, cats and ferrets if they originated from or have been dispatched from Belarus, Poland, Romania or Ukraine, until 9 July 2022.
Please find data below.
2021 Numbers of Dogs imported under Balai Directive | ||||||
Country of Origin | Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June |
Austria |
|
| 14 |
| 4 |
|
Belgium | 19 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
Bulgaria | 35 | 65 | 113 | 74 | 116 | 131 |
Croatia |
| 27 | 125 | 118 | 207 | 196 |
Cyprus | 143 | 485 | 323 | 384 | 205 | 415 |
Czechia |
| 14 | 14 | 19 | 17 | 20 |
Denmark |
|
| 12 |
| 1 | 184 |
England | 1 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
|
Estonia |
|
|
| 16 | 5 |
|
Finland |
| 1 | 2 | 1 |
|
|
France | 6 | 58 | 40 | 48 | 17 | 111 |
Germany |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 17 |
Greece | 13 | 31 | 24 | 116 | 164 | 79 |
Hungary | 35 | 234 | 865 | 621 | 582 | 358 |
Iceland |
|
| 1 |
|
|
|
Italy | 4 | 29 | 35 | 26 | 9 | 33 |
Latvia |
| 36 | 25 | 66 | 61 | 45 |
Lithuania | 28 | 35 | 75 | 62 | 32 | 28 |
Luxembourg |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Malta |
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
Netherlands | 9 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
Northern Ireland |
| 2 |
|
|
|
|
Norway |
|
|
| 1 |
|
|
Poland | 131 | 318 | 564 | 587 | 688 | 566 |
Portugal | 1 | 34 | 69 | 59 | 43 | 78 |
Republic of Ireland | 96 | 529 | 717 | 560 | 654 | 640 |
Romania | 558 | 3609 | 4220 | 4788 | 3696 | 3199 |
Scotland |
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
Slovakia | 5 | 32 | 39 | 27 | 17 | 22 |
Slovenia |
|
| 1 | 3 |
| 1 |
Spain | 117 | 269 | 637 | 702 | 573 | 590 |
Sweden |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Switzerland |
|
| 1 | 2 | 1 |
|
Wales |
|
| 1 |
|
|
|
UK |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Isle of Man |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(blank) |
|
|
| 1 |
|
|
Grand Total | 1201 | 5832 | 7937 | 8305 | 7125 | 6724 |
2021 Numbers of Dogs imported under Balai Directive | ||||||
Country of Origin | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Austria |
| 2 | 1 |
| 1 |
|
Belgium | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
|
Bulgaria | 96 | 44 | 157 | 110 | 86 | 66 |
Croatia | 282 | 223 | 132 | 254 | 246 | 193 |
Cyprus | 297 | 396 | 345 | 325 | 165 | 275 |
Czechia | 22 | 18 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 30 |
Denmark |
| 58 | 210 | 43 | 94 | 117 |
England | 20 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 1 |
Estonia |
| 1 | 1 |
|
|
|
Finland |
| 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
France | 38 | 26 | 16 | 12 | 32 | 7 |
Germany | 7 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Greece | 110 | 98 | 124 | 110 | 88 | 60 |
Hungary | 322 | 223 | 402 | 302 | 277 | 296 |
Iceland |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Italy | 35 | 29 | 35 | 17 | 36 | 8 |
Latvia | 43 | 28 | 57 | 55 | 69 | 27 |
Lithuania | 81 | 71 | 82 | 77 | 55 | 52 |
Luxembourg |
|
|
|
|
| 2 |
Malta |
|
|
|
|
| 2 |
Netherlands | 4 | 34 | 23 | 28 | 16 | 18 |
Northern Ireland |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Norway |
| 1 |
|
| 1 |
|
Poland | 480 | 486 | 543 | 492 | 405 | 333 |
Portugal | 53 | 22 | 42 | 46 | 28 | 25 |
Republic of Ireland | 557 | 620 | 651 | 557 | 633 | 444 |
Romania | 3328 | 2871 | 3108 | 3452 | 2825 | 2427 |
Scotland |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Slovakia | 23 | 21 | 32 | 22 | 33 | 18 |
Slovenia | 1 |
| 1 |
|
|
|
Spain | 729 | 316 | 539 | 490 | 539 | 408 |
Sweden | 2 | 1 |
| 33 | 1 | 2 |
Switzerland | 1 | 2 | 1 |
|
|
|
Wales |
|
|
|
|
|
|
UK |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Isle of Man |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(blank) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grand Total | 6538 | 5610 | 6548 | 6463 | 5667 | 4816 |
2022 Numbers of Dogs imported under Balai Directive | |||||
Country of Origin | Jan | Feb | Mar | April | 1/5/22 to 23/05/22 |
Austria | 3 |
|
| 2 |
|
Belgium | 10 |
| 4 | 5 | 2 |
Bulgaria | 79 | 40 | 95 | 115 | 115 |
Croatia | 145 | 190 | 358 | 248 |
|
Cyprus | 335 | 282 | 275 | 77 | 231 |
Czechia | 14 | 11 | 10 | 18 | 16 |
Denmark | 1 | 19 | 67 | 97 |
|
England |
| 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
Estonia |
|
| 4 |
| 7 |
Finland | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
|
France | 16 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 1 |
Germany | 22 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 3 |
Greece | 54 | 48 | 33 | 29 | 16 |
Hungary | 164 | 253 | 224 | 226 | 193 |
Iceland |
|
|
|
|
|
Italy | 7 | 44 | 32 | 35 | 22 |
Latvia | 56 | 32 | 54 | 41 | 8 |
Lithuania | 36 | 63 | 52 | 31 | 26 |
Luxembourg |
|
| 1 |
|
|
Malta |
|
|
|
|
|
Netherlands | 24 | 17 | 12 | 9 |
|
Northern Ireland | 1 |
|
|
|
|
Norway |
| 3 |
| 2 |
|
Poland | 320 | 339 | 334 | 175 | 42 |
Portugal | 30 | 36 | 30 | 24 | 39 |
Republic of Ireland | 635 | 670 | 632 | 534 | 493 |
Romania | 2529 | 2365 | 2531 | 1181 | 18 |
Scotland |
|
|
|
|
|
Slovakia | 17 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 9 |
Slovenia |
|
|
|
|
|
Spain | 480 | 529 | 448 | 415 | 344 |
Sweden | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 1 |
Switzerland |
| 1 |
| 1 |
|
Wales |
|
|
|
|
|
UK |
|
| 1 | 2 |
|
Isle of Man | 2 |
|
|
|
|
(blank) |
|
|
|
|
|
Grand Total | 4983 | 4999 | 5236 | 3304 | 1589 |
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the UK has offered to NATO allies to deploy further troops in eastern Europe as part of the Enhanced Vigilance Activity force.
Answered by James Heappey
As one of NATO's leading European Allies, the UK makes substantial contributions to NATO's enhanced Vigilance Activity. This includes Typhoon Fast Jets policing routes in Poland and Romania and several ships supporting NATO Maritime Groups in the High North and Mediterranean. The UK is also the framework nation for the enhanced Forward Presence, recently doubling our numbers there and also training alongside the US in Bulgaria.
NATO is actively considering its future force posture in the run up to the leaders' summit in Madrid in July.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of Romanian meat being imported into the UK.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
According to the latest HMRC overseas trade data, in 2021 the UK imported 9,520 tonnes of meat from Romania. This was worth £28.8 million, the majority of which was poultrymeat worth £18.8 million.
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, how many dogs entered the UK from (a) the Republic of Ireland and (b) Romania in each month of 2022.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since we left the EU, the EU import data was collated from PIMS which is APHA’s (Post Import Management System) and accounts for all Imports that have been entered using IPAFFS (Import of products, animals, food and feed system).
The information that we have provided is a true reflection of the information that we have access to. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data, as we can only rely on the information that has been input into IPAFFS by traders.
APHA only holds data on GB imports.
Data for April 2022 not complete as not yet month end.
Number of dogs entered GB1 January 22 to 31 March 22 | ||
Month | Republic of Ireland | Romania |
Jan- 22 | 635 | 2529 |
Feb - 22 | 670 | 2365 |
March - 22 | 632 | 2531 |
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Home Office are keeping up with visa applications from those fleeing Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system. We actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand, including from pressures relating to Ukraine.
The Home Office has surged capacity to European countries including Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Moldova, Poland and Romania. This work has increased the total capacity of UKVI who can offer over 13,000 appointments to visa applicants across the region.
The Home Office has made it easier to make applications to the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, as Ukrainians with valid passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether people are able to adopt and bring to the UK abandoned animals from the Ukraine.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has already put in place new emergency support for those fleeing Ukraine with their pets. Using an emergency licence, people fleeing Ukraine can bring their pets to the UK with any quarantine costs met by the Government.
We understand, that as a nation of animal lovers, UK citizens may want to help offer a safe and permanent home to rescue animals that are in Ukraine.
However, Ukraine is an unlisted country due to the confirmed presence of rabies and rabies is likewise present in Romania, Poland and Belarus. We are concerned about risks to human and animal health in light of the rabies risk posed by commercial and rescue movements from Ukraine, which come through particular third countries (Belarus, Poland or Romania), given the animals are often of unknown background and disease status, unlike family pets.
We are aware of non-compliant commercial movements from these countries which has been exacerbated by the crisis in Ukraine. We have assessed the disease risk posed to human and animals from commercial dogs, cats and ferrets who are non-complaint. We have concluded, given the already high-risk of rabies from these countries, and the additional risk of serious non-complaint commercial movements, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend commercial movements of dogs, cats and ferrets, including rescue animals, from these countries.
This temporary safeguarding measure, ending on 14 May, will keep the public and peoples pets safe. Stopping these non-complaint commercial movements form entering the UK will also prevent vital quarantine spaces having to be reallocated from pets belonging to those fleeing Ukraine.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on increasing the number of visas granted to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We are prioritising visa applications from Ukrainians and have surged capacity to other visa application centres (VACs) in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic and Moldova.
Ukrainians with passports no longer need to go to a VAC to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.
This will mean that our VACs across Europe can focus their efforts on helping Ukrainians without passports, increasing the capacity at those centres to 13,000 appointments per week.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the current rabies requirements for Ukrainian animals arriving into (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Northern Ireland, and (4) Wales; and if there are any differences between those requirements, what are the reasons for those differences.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We are processing Ukrainian pet import applications as quickly as possible, whilst maintaining our biosecurity standards. The UK has been rabies-free for many years, and we wish to remain so.
The current requirements for a cat, dog or ferret to enter the United Kingdom from Ukraine are as follows:
However, the Government recognises that people fleeing Ukraine with their pets may not have been able to complete this process, or may not have paperwork verifying their pet’s health status. We have therefore put in place new emergency support for those fleeing Ukraine with their pets. Using an emergency licence, people fleeing Ukraine can bring their non-compliant pets to the UK with any quarantine costs met by the Government.
The maximum stay in quarantine for a pet which has received no rabies vaccination is four months. England, Wales and Scotland have introduced a new rabies ELISA blood test that confirms rabies vaccination through detection of rabies antibodies. This will help in instances where refugees have travelled without vaccination paperwork.
Results can be turned around in a minimum of 3 days with some animals then moving to isolation if they pass the test. This will help maintain our strict biosecurity measures and allow people to be reunited more quickly with their pets when possible. This test is not available in Northern Ireland which remains aligned with the EU.
These new arrangements are only in place for people fleeing Ukraine with their pets. It is not available to rescue animals, commercial movements or to pets travelling apart from their owners, all of whom must continue to meet the full health requirements before entering the UK.
England and Scotland have temporarily suspended the commercial import of dogs, cats and ferrets if they originate from or have been dispatched from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland or Romania, until 14 May 2022.
There are no other differences to the rabies import requirements of pets between the Devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) funding, and (2) diplomatic support, in respect of the war in Ukraine does not distract from efforts to help vulnerable people affected by crises in the rest of the world.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is one of the leading humanitarian donors to Ukraine, pledging £394 million in Aid, including £220 million of humanitarian assistance. These funds will be used to save lives, protect vulnerable people inside the country and in the wider region. In addition to funding, the UK has deployed field teams of humanitarian experts to Poland, Moldova and Romania to provide logistics advice and analyse the evolving refugee situation.
The UK remains committed to the pledges it has made in response to other humanitarian crises, including Yemen and Afghanistan. In Yemen, the total amount of UK funding since the conflict began is approximately £970 million. In Afghanistan, the UK will have disbursed approximately £286 million in aid, in the last financial year.