My Lords, I start by expressing from these Benches our relief over the safe return of the15 sailors and Royal Marines who were taken captive. That feeling is of course tempered by our sadness over the nine personnel who have been killed in operations since we last met, and our...

My Lords, I start by expressing from these Benches our relief over the safe return of the15 sailors and Royal Marines who were taken captive. That feeling is of course tempered by our sadness over the nine personnel who have been killed in operations since we last met, and our...

My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, Lord King of Bridgwater, for making this debate possible. I remember with pleasure serving in the Ministry of Defence during his time as the Defence Secretary. In preparing for this debate I looked at the foreword to his 1991 White Paper, in...

My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, Lord King of Bridgwater, for making this debate possible. I remember with pleasure serving in the Ministry of Defence during his time as the Defence Secretary. In preparing for this debate I looked at the foreword to his 1991 White Paper, in...

Lords debate on motion to call attention to the state of the Armed Forces of the Crown. Motion withdrawn.

Lords debate on motion to call attention to the state of the Armed Forces of the Crown. Motion withdrawn.

My Lords, from these Benches we, too, offer our condolences to the family and friends of Rifleman Coffey, who was killed in Iraq earlier in the week. We warmly welcome the Statement as an indication of improvement in the security situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is always difficult to judge the...

My Lords, from these Benches we, too, offer our condolences to the family and friends of Rifleman Coffey, who was killed in Iraq earlier in the week. We warmly welcome the Statement as an indication of improvement in the security situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is always difficult to judge the...

My Lords, I add my thanks to the Minister for repeating the Statement; however, I am absolutely astonished that we are only being told this today. On Tuesday of last week the Minister came to the House to talk about military matters, on Wednesday the Leader of the House repeated...

My Lords, I add my thanks to the Minister for repeating the Statement; however, I am absolutely astonished that we are only being told this today. On Tuesday of last week the Minister came to the House to talk about military matters, on Wednesday the Leader of the House repeated...

Lords debate on motion to take note of the White Paper The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994). Agreed to on question.

Lords debate on motion to take note of the White Paper The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994). Agreed to on question.

My Lords, the future of the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent is a major national issue. I welcome the opportunity that this thoughtful debate has given us to start to explore so many factors. The key decision, to which many noble Lords have alluded, is whether the United Kingdom should plan...

My Lords, the future of the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent is a major national issue. I welcome the opportunity that this thoughtful debate has given us to start to explore so many factors. The key decision, to which many noble Lords have alluded, is whether the United Kingdom should plan...

My Lords, I am most grateful to the Minister. Does he think that 24 independently targetable warheads would not deter an enemy?

My Lords, I am most grateful to the Minister. Does he think that 24 independently targetable warheads would not deter an enemy?

My Lords, I add my congratulations to the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, on giving us the opportunity to debate this Bill. I trust that, given the almost unanimous support for the Bill in this debate, it will go into Committee and be taken seriously. We have heard speeches from noble...

My Lords, I add my congratulations to the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, on giving us the opportunity to debate this Bill. I trust that, given the almost unanimous support for the Bill in this debate, it will go into Committee and be taken seriously. We have heard speeches from noble...

My Lords, I shall come to the smart weapon in a moment. The general rate quoted by manufacturers for the dumb weapons is 5 per cent; for smart weapons, some manufacturers claim a rate of 1 per cent. Data from the first Gulf War, where the 5 per cent figure...

My Lords, I shall come to the smart weapon in a moment. The general rate quoted by manufacturers for the dumb weapons is 5 per cent; for smart weapons, some manufacturers claim a rate of 1 per cent. Data from the first Gulf War, where the 5 per cent figure...

My Lords, the news of an earlier date is very welcome, but what is wrong with a date some time this year? Is it purely a financial problem?

My Lords, the news of an earlier date is very welcome, but what is wrong with a date some time this year? Is it purely a financial problem?

My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the Minister for repeating the Statement on the NATO summit. From these Benches we welcome the historic location of the summit in Riga. We also welcome the fact that, for once, the summit seems to have passed without too much public acrimony between...

My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the Minister for repeating the Statement on the NATO summit. From these Benches we welcome the historic location of the summit in Riga. We also welcome the fact that, for once, the summit seems to have passed without too much public acrimony between...

My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton of Liverpool, for calling this debate on North Korea. As we discussed in the debate on the gracious Speech, the international security outlook is very gloomy, and proliferation is high on the agenda. In looking for the best way forward,...

My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton of Liverpool, for calling this debate on North Korea. As we discussed in the debate on the gracious Speech, the international security outlook is very gloomy, and proliferation is high on the agenda. In looking for the best way forward,...

My Lords, this has been an excellent debate with a number of common themes: the centrality of the Middle East peace process, the despair over Iraq, questions over British foreign policy and the wish for Europe to do more have been recurrent issues. We have been fortunate to have four...

My Lords, this has been an excellent debate with a number of common themes: the centrality of the Middle East peace process, the despair over Iraq, questions over British foreign policy and the wish for Europe to do more have been recurrent issues. We have been fortunate to have four...

Lords debate on Queen's speech (third day) on foreign affairs, defence and international development.

Lords debate on Queen's speech (third day) on foreign affairs, defence and international development.

My Lords, the Minister will be unsurprised that I have not been reassured by his reiteration of the Government’s position. Various noble Lords explained why it is difficult to do the things that this amendment requires. It is certainly difficult, but there is an international perspective that 18 is the...

My Lords, the Minister will be unsurprised that I have not been reassured by his reiteration of the Government’s position. Various noble Lords explained why it is difficult to do the things that this amendment requires. It is certainly difficult, but there is an international perspective that 18 is the...

moved Amendment No. 7: After Clause 359, insert the following new clause- ““FLIGHTS BY FOREIGN AIRCRAFTS AT MILITARY AIRFIELDS (1) The Defence Council may by regulations make provision for the handling of foreign aircraft at military facilities, to ensure that such aircraft are complying with United Kingdom legal requirements and...

moved Amendment No. 7: After Clause 359, insert the following new clause- ““FLIGHTS BY FOREIGN AIRCRAFTS AT MILITARY AIRFIELDS (1) The Defence Council may by regulations make provision for the handling of foreign aircraft at military facilities, to ensure that such aircraft are complying with United Kingdom legal requirements and...

moved Amendment No. 6: After Clause 340, insert the following new clause- ““SPECIAL PROVISION FOR SERVICE PERSONNEL UNDER THE AGE OF 18 (1) Service personnel under the age of 18 are not permitted to serve in combat areas. (2) Service personnel under the age of 18 are not permitted to...

moved Amendment No. 6: After Clause 340, insert the following new clause- ““SPECIAL PROVISION FOR SERVICE PERSONNEL UNDER THE AGE OF 18 (1) Service personnel under the age of 18 are not permitted to serve in combat areas. (2) Service personnel under the age of 18 are not permitted to...

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for going into so much detail at Third Reading, much of which we have heard in relation not only to this Bill but to the Civil Aviation Bill and the Police and Justice Bill, when dealing with associated topics. Much of what...

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for going into so much detail at Third Reading, much of which we have heard in relation not only to this Bill but to the Civil Aviation Bill and the Police and Justice Bill, when dealing with associated topics. Much of what...

My Lords, I join in complimenting the Minister on the efforts that he has put in to make sure that we have all been involved at every stage. I, too, thank the Bill team—some of the faces are even familiar from my past—who have done so much to keep us...

My Lords, I join in complimenting the Minister on the efforts that he has put in to make sure that we have all been involved at every stage. I, too, thank the Bill team—some of the faces are even familiar from my past—who have done so much to keep us...