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asked Her Majesty's Government:What were the circumstances of the incident at the Galway air show on 24 June when the door to a Royal Air Force Merlin helicopter in flight was reported to have fallen off and injured three civilians on the ground; and whether a board of inquiry has...
asked Her Majesty's Government:What were the circumstances of the incident at the Galway air show on 24 June when the door to a Royal Air Force Merlin helicopter in flight was reported to have fallen off and injured three civilians on the ground; and whether a board of inquiry has...
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Drayson
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
4 July 2007
An Air Accident Board of Inquiry (BOI) was convened by Joint Helicopter Command on 25 June to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and to identify the possible causes. It would not be appropriate to prejudge the outcome of the BoI, a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House in due course.
Subjects
Accidents; Inquiries; Military aircraft; Republic of Ireland; Merlin helicopters; Air displays
Date
4 July 2007
Reference
4503; 693 c178WA
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 15 May (WA 21), when the results of the Ministry of Defence survey of December 2006 into Armed Forces electoral registration levels and registration awareness will be available.
asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 15 May (WA 21), when the results of the Ministry of Defence survey of December 2006 into Armed Forces electoral registration levels and registration awareness will be available.
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Drayson
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
13 June 2007
The report of the survey is currently with Ministers for consideration. I will write to the noble Lord indicating our intention to publish it in due course.
Subjects
Armed forces; Electoral register; Surveys
Date
13 June 2007
Reference
4089; 692 c258WA
House
House of Lords
My Lords, these Benches also add our condolences to the families of the three soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Last week was a difficult week for the multinational forces in general both in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is very heartening that the Fulton inquiry has reported so quickly, given that it comprised just Lieutenant-General Fulton and his major. It was an unusual process. Do we now expect to have a formal board of inquiry so that evidence may be taken in the normal way and that those who may be criticised for what happened will have a legal basis on which to defend themselves?
My Lords, these Benches also add our condolences to the families of the three soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Last week was a difficult week for the multinational forces in general both in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is very heartening that the Fulton inquiry has reported so quickly, given that it comprised just Lieutenant-General Fulton and his major. It was an unusual process. Do we now expect to have a formal board of inquiry so that evidence may be taken in the normal way and that those who may be criticised for what happened will have a legal basis on which to defend themselves?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
4 June 2007
My Lords, we need to see the outcome of the inquiry. Both the Defence Select Committee and a group of noble Lords will have the opportunity to scrutinise the inquiry on a confidential basis; in this House the group will be under the chairmanship of my noble friend Lady Dean. I am not aware of decisions having been taken on the process following the Fulton inquiry. The noble Lord, Lord Garden, is absolutely right that this is an unusual process, but it was done to enable us to carry out the inquiry much more quickly than would otherwise have been the case, had we gone through a formal BoI. I believe that the House believes that to have been the right decision, but of course we will have to make sure that full opportunity is provided to all personnel concerned relating to any consequences of the Fulton inquiry.
Subjects
Detainees; Inquiries; Iraq; Peacekeeping operations; Media; Navy; Territorial waters; Iran; Marines; HMS Cornwall
Date
4 June 2007
Reference
692 c883
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:What cost benefits were achieved by relocating No. 6 Squadron from RAF Coltishall to RAF Coningsby in April 2006 rather than retaining it at Coltishall until disbandment 12 months later.
asked Her Majesty's Government:What cost benefits were achieved by relocating No. 6 Squadron from RAF Coltishall to RAF Coningsby in April 2006 rather than retaining it at Coltishall until disbandment 12 months later.
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Drayson
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
21 May 2007
No. 6 Squadron relocating earlyto RAF Coningsby enabled the closure of RAF Coltishall, resulting in the saving of £5 million in station maintenance costs.
Subjects
Cost effectiveness; Air force; Location; Military bases; RAF Coltishall; RAF Coningsby
Date
21 May 2007
Reference
3694; 692 c83WA
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:What category of damage the two United Kingdom Puma helicopters sustained in the collision north of Baghdad on 15 April; and when each is expected to be available again for operations.
asked Her Majesty's Government:What category of damage the two United Kingdom Puma helicopters sustained in the collision north of Baghdad on 15 April; and when each is expected to be available again for operations.
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Drayson
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
16 May 2007
The two Royal Air Force Puma helicopters that collided north of Baghdad on 15 April are in the process of being transported back to the United Kingdom. A formal assessment of the damage sustained to both aircraft will then be made following their arrival at MoD Boscombe Down. I will write to the noble Lord once this assessment has been undertaken and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Subjects
Accidents; Damage; Iraq; Peacekeeping operations; Military aircraft; Puma helicopters
Date
16 May 2007
Reference
3553; 692 c47-8WA
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:What measures they have taken to assess the effectiveness during the 3 May 2007 elections of the new arrangements for voting by the Armed Forces; and when the results of any assessment will be available.
asked Her Majesty's Government:What measures they have taken to assess the effectiveness during the 3 May 2007 elections of the new arrangements for voting by the Armed Forces; and when the results of any assessment will be available.
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Baroness Ashton of Upholland
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
15 May 2007
The Ministry of Defence carried out a survey in December 2006 to determine electoral registration levels and awareness of the need to register among members of the Armed Forces. Evaluation of the survey is not yet complete. I understand that the Ministry of Defence will place a copy of the report in the Library of the House when it becomes available.
In February 2007, the Government asked the Electoral Commission to review and report on the introduction of personal identifiers for absent voting in England and Wales and, in particular, the use of the personal identifiers at the 3 May 2007 elections in England and Wales. The Electoral Commission has advised that the review may include an assessment of the impact of the new provisions on members of the Armed Forces. The Electoral Commission has been asked to produce its report by 31 July 2007. A copy of the report will be made publicly available when it is produced.
Subjects
Armed forces; Elections; Electoral register
Date
15 May 2007
Reference
3621; 692 c21WA
House
House of Lords
My Lords, the Question recognises the increasing hazards to our forces and the welfare support forces as we draw down our bases in Iraq to a single base. This raises another strategic question. Can the Minister assure the House that there are forces on call at high readiness to provide rescue and casualty evacuation capability in the event of a major contingency?
My Lords, the Question recognises the increasing hazards to our forces and the welfare support forces as we draw down our bases in Iraq to a single base. This raises another strategic question. Can the Minister assure the House that there are forces on call at high readiness to provide rescue and casualty evacuation capability in the event of a major contingency?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
15 May 2007
Yes, my Lords, I can give that assurance.
Subjects
Armed forces; Hospitals; Iraq; Peacekeeping operations; Defence Medical Services
Date
15 May 2007
Reference
692 c127
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, the United States is reported to be spending $3.4 billion this year on training the police and army in Afghanistan and intends to increase that to $5.9 billion in the year beginning in September. What are the comparable United Kingdom figures and do we also intend to increase our spending in the coming year?
My Lords, the United States is reported to be spending $3.4 billion this year on training the police and army in Afghanistan and intends to increase that to $5.9 billion in the year beginning in September. What are the comparable United Kingdom figures and do we also intend to increase our spending in the coming year?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
10 May 2007
My Lords, I cannot give the noble Lord the precise breakdown. If we have those figures I will write to him. As he highlights, there has been a real increase in effort by the United States. The primary coalition responsibility for the development of the Afghan national police has been with Germany. It has been recognised that that needs to be supported by an acceleration of new approaches to the training of Afghan police more quickly. Thathas led to the United States putting extra resources into this area. We recognise the importance of the development—as the noble Lord, Lord Astor, said—of the police and the army in order to provide the governance that this country is going to need to allow us to hand over responsibility for security. In terms of the balance of resources, our focus is on supporting, training and developing the army, not the police. Whether we will change that focus is not something I am aware of at present.
Subjects
Army; Police; Peacekeeping operations; Training; Afghanistan; Military aid
Date
10 May 2007
Reference
691 c1538
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, we on these Benches join in offering our condolences to the families of the three soldiers killed since we last met. The Minister will be aware that the reports in the press are drawn from the leaked document, Equipment Reverse—SITREPNo. 2, which since the weekend has been in the public domain. It confirms what the Minister said—that the forces are well equipped on operations—but it spells out in detail the difficulty of sustaining that situation. The phrase it uses is ““LAND’s cupboard is bare””: in other words, the cupboard of the headquarters of the Army’s operations is bare. What changes is the Minister making, given his new responsibilities, to ensure that he can sustain the necessary spares, which are lacking; replace the equipment, which is wearing much faster than expected; and change the assumptions on attrition rates?
My Lords, we on these Benches join in offering our condolences to the families of the three soldiers killed since we last met. The Minister will be aware that the reports in the press are drawn from the leaked document, Equipment Reverse—SITREPNo. 2, which since the weekend has been in the public domain. It confirms what the Minister said—that the forces are well equipped on operations—but it spells out in detail the difficulty of sustaining that situation. The phrase it uses is ““LAND’s cupboard is bare””: in other words, the cupboard of the headquarters of the Army’s operations is bare. What changes is the Minister making, given his new responsibilities, to ensure that he can sustain the necessary spares, which are lacking; replace the equipment, which is wearing much faster than expected; and change the assumptions on attrition rates?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
8 May 2007
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Garden, highlights exactly the points on which we need to focus. The level of operations with which we are now coping puts pressure on equipment and means that equipment priorities for operations have consequences for the availability of equipment at home base. Dealing with these issues is about investing in more equipment where required. We are addressing the availability of spares. More importantly, the reforms we are putting in place and the way we manage equipment—for example, the whole-fleet management of combat vehicles—is at the heart of improving the availability of vehicles both for operations and back at base. These reform initiatives, which we are putting in place as a result of investment and the proactive approach to reform that comes from bringing together defence equipment and defence support, are at the heart of these issues.
Subjects
Armoured fighting vehicles; Peacekeeping operations; Afghanistan
Date
8 May 2007
Reference
691 c1270
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, from these Benches we add our condolences to the family of the rifleman who was so sadly killed yesterday.
The Joint Strike Fighter aircraft is an essential component of our carrier capability. In March 2007, the United States Government Accounting Office reported on it again and showed further cost growth. The GAO said: "““Accurately predicting JSF costs and schedule and ensuring sufficient funding will likely be key challenges facing the program in the future””."
Does the Minister believe that, in the United Kingdom, the current JSF acquisition strategy manages those risks adequately? Can he assure us that the UK will not replicate the much criticised Ministry of Defense cost-reimbursement contracts which it is issuing for the initial production models?
My Lords, from these Benches we add our condolences to the family of the rifleman who was so sadly killed yesterday.
The Joint Strike Fighter aircraft is an essential component of our carrier capability. In March 2007, the United States Government Accounting Office reported on it again and showed further cost growth. The GAO said: "““Accurately predicting JSF costs and schedule and ensuring sufficient funding will likely be key challenges facing the program in the future””."
Does the Minister believe that, in the United Kingdom, the current JSF acquisition strategy manages those risks adequately? Can he assure us that the UK will not replicate the much criticised Ministry of Defense cost-reimbursement contracts which it is issuing for the initial production models?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
30 April 2007
My Lords, I recognise the concerns that the noble Lord has raised about the cost of the Joint Strike Fighter; it is something that we are looking at very closely. I am satisfied that our acquisition process is appropriate to the task, and I concentrate on it as a high priority. Indeed, towards the end of this year I expect to get a clearer view of the aircraft’s overall acquisition costs and, as important, of the sustainment strategy. We have not yet committed to purchasing these aircraft and will closely scrutinise the progress of the project.
Subjects
Certification; Procurement; Standards; Shipbuilding; Aircraft carriers
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
691 c864
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, we on these Benches join in offering our condolences to the families of the three servicemen.
Presumably, the Fulton inquiry into the hostage-taking by Iran, which is considering equipment, will be able to give some insights into the Question asked by the noble Baroness, Lady Sharples. Yesterday’s Statement did not provide a full set of terms of reference; it described what was going to be looked into. I regret that, but I gather that no more details are to be made available. Can the noble Lord tell us what will be the composition of Lieutenant-General Fulton’s inquiry, just as the Government tell us about the media inquiry? Can he also tell us what progress he is making with forming a group from your Lordships’ House to look at the results of the inquiry in full?
My Lords, we on these Benches join in offering our condolences to the families of the three servicemen.
Presumably, the Fulton inquiry into the hostage-taking by Iran, which is considering equipment, will be able to give some insights into the Question asked by the noble Baroness, Lady Sharples. Yesterday’s Statement did not provide a full set of terms of reference; it described what was going to be looked into. I regret that, but I gather that no more details are to be made available. Can the noble Lord tell us what will be the composition of Lieutenant-General Fulton’s inquiry, just as the Government tell us about the media inquiry? Can he also tell us what progress he is making with forming a group from your Lordships’ House to look at the results of the inquiry in full?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
25 April 2007
My Lords, on the composition of Lieutenant-General Fulton’s inquiry, I am happy to write to the noble Lord and place a copy of theletter in the Library. On the review by this Houseof the outcome of the inquiry, I would welcome feedback from opposition spokesmen on what they want the composition to be. I am open to suggestionsfrom noble Lords on what they think would bethe appropriate composition of that team in the circumstances.
Subjects
Armed forces; Armed conflict; Defence equipment; Protection
Date
25 April 2007
Reference
691 c661
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:Of those military personnel who tested positive for illegal drugs in 2006, how many have subsequently been required to leave the Armed Forces.
asked Her Majesty's Government:Of those military personnel who tested positive for illegal drugs in 2006, how many have subsequently been required to leave the Armed Forces.
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Drayson
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
25 April 2007
Of the total of 844 military personnel who tested positive in 2006, 782 (92.7 per cent) have left the Armed Forces or are in the process of being discharged.
Subjects
Armed forces; Discharges; Drugs; Misuse
Date
25 April 2007
Reference
3039; 691 c135-6WA
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:What trends they have identified in illegal drug taking in the Armed Forces since random testing was introduced.
asked Her Majesty's Government:What trends they have identified in illegal drug taking in the Armed Forces since random testing was introduced.
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Drayson
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
18 April 2007
Identified trends in illegal drug taking in the Armed Forces are:
Rates of positive tests for the Army initially fell during the first two years when random tests were introduced (from 1.4 per cent in 1995 to 0.7 per cent in 1996). More recently, positive results for the Armed Forces overall have fluctuated but increased from0.53 per cent in 2000 to 0.65 per cent in 2006.
The misuse of class A drugs has risen for each of the services and increased for the Armed Forces as a whole from 42.5 per cent of positive results in 2000 to 56.9 per cent in 2006.
Further information is shown in the table below:
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
| Royal Navy: | |||||||
| Positive rates among those tested | 0.35% | 0.39% | 0.33% | 0.41% | 0.39% | 0.37% | 0.46% |
| Percentages of positives which were class A | 55.3% | 44.0% | 30.2% | 62.5% | 55.3% | 76.6% | 79.0% |
| Army: | |||||||
| Positive rates among those tested | 0.59% | 0.65% | 0.58% | 0.56% | 0.69% | 0.83% | 0.74% |
| Percentages of positives which were class A | 41.2% | 49.5% | 46.5% | 47.0% | 37.2% | 61.2% | 55.0% |
| Royal Air Force: | |||||||
| Positive rates among those tested | 0.12% | 0.13% | 0.09% | 0.15% | 0.21% | 0.16% | 0.14% |
| Percentages of positives which were class A | 35.7% | 39.0% | 30.0% | 20.0% | 45.8% | 57.1% | 66.7% |
| Armed Forces overall: | |||||||
| Positive rates among those tested | 0.53% | 0.57% | 0.50% | 0.49% | 0.61% | 0.71% | 0.65% |
| Percentages of positives which were class A | 42.5% | 48.8% | 45.0% | 47.5% | 38.7% | 62.0% | 56.9% |
Subjects
Armed forces; Drugs; Misuse; Testing
Date
18 April 2007
Reference
3040; 691 c56WA
House
House of Lords
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many random drug tests were performed on military personnel in 2006; how many of these were positive, and for which drugs or combination of drugs.
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many random drug tests were performed on military personnel in 2006; how many of these were positive, and for which drugs or combination of drugs.
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Answered by
Lord Drayson
(Labour)
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Answered on
17 April 2007
A total of 129,888 random drug tests were performed on military personnel in 2006, of which 844 were positive (0.65 per cent). The breakdown showing drugs or combination of drugs detected for each service, and for the Armed Forces as a whole, is shown in the table below.
| 2006 | Royal Navy | Army | Royal Air Force | Armed Forces |
| Number of random tests performed on military personnel | 12,505 | 104,499 | 12,884 | 129,888 |
| Number of personnel testing positive (percentage of tests carried out) | 57 (0.46%) | 769 (0.74%) | 18 (0.14%) | 844 (0.65%) |
| Drug or combination of drug involved: | (percentage of positive tests) | |||
| Heroin | 1 | 1 | 2 (0.24%) | |
| Cocaine | 35 | 340 | 8 | 383 (45.4%) |
| Cocaine/Ecstasy | 34 | 2 | 36 (4.3%) | |
| Cocaine/Ecstasy/Amphetamine | 3 | 3 (0.36%) | ||
| Cocaine/Ecstasy/Cannabis | 6 | 6 (0.71%) | ||
| Cocaine/Amphetamine | 6 | 6 (0.71%) | ||
| Cocaine/Amphetamine/Cannabis | 1 | 1 (0.12%) | ||
| Cocaine/Cannabis | 33 | 33 (3.9%) | ||
| Ecstasy | 9 | 73 | 2 | 84 (10.0%) |
| Ecstasy/Amphetamine | 9 | 9 (1.1%) | ||
| Ecstasy/Amphetamine/Cannabis | 3 | 3 (0.36%) | ||
| Ecstasy/Cannabis | 10 | 10 (1.2%) | ||
| Cannabis | 11 | 221 | 4 | 236 (28.0%) |
| Amphetamine | 15 | 15 | 15 (1.8%) | |
| Amphetamine/Cannabis | 4 | 4 (0.47%) | ||
| Benzodiazephine | 1 | 10 | 2 | 13 (1.57%) |
Subjects
Armed forces; Drugs; Misuse; Testing
Date
17 April 2007
Reference
3038; 691 c36-8WA
House
House of Lords
My Lords, in respect of Serbia, the United Kingdom should have detailed information about the cluster munitions that were expelled from the BL755 weapons used during the conflict over Kosovo in 1999. I was in that case surprised by the Written Answer provided by the noble Lord, Lord Drayson, on 10 January, in which he was unaware of ““detailed information? on BL755 cluster munitions strikes. Does the Ministry of Defence have the information to provide to NATO to provide to Serbia, as the Minister has suggested?
My Lords, in respect of Serbia, the United Kingdom should have detailed information about the cluster munitions that were expelled from the BL755 weapons used during the conflict over Kosovo in 1999. I was in that case surprised by the Written Answer provided by the noble Lord, Lord Drayson, on 10 January, in which he was unaware of ““detailed information? on BL755 cluster munitions strikes. Does the Ministry of Defence have the information to provide to NATO to provide to Serbia, as the Minister has suggested?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
17 April 2007
My Lords, my understanding is that we have passed over information with respect to our own role in this process, but if in some way that is incorrect I shall be happy to write to the noble Lord to clarify that.
Subjects
Development aid; Cluster munitions; Bomb disposal; Serbia; Lebanon
Date
17 April 2007
Reference
691 c112
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, I am grateful for the Minister’s assurance to the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Craig, that the terms of reference for the board of inquiry will be made available. That is very important. Have they been written already and thus will they be available later today? If not, when does the six-week period start from? Does it start from yesterday, from when the terms of reference are written or from when the inquiry is put together? Six weeks is a very short time for what will obviously be a wide-ranging and complex inquiry.
My Lords, I am grateful for the Minister’s assurance to the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Craig, that the terms of reference for the board of inquiry will be made available. That is very important. Have they been written already and thus will they be available later today? If not, when does the six-week period start from? Does it start from yesterday, from when the terms of reference are written or from when the inquiry is put together? Six weeks is a very short time for what will obviously be a wide-ranging and complex inquiry.
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
17 April 2007
My Lords, my understanding is that the six weeks started yesterday. It is a short period. An inquiry, as opposed to a board of inquiry, was launched so that the process could happen more quickly. That is a response to the very important issue with which we are dealing here and I think that it reflects the Government’s commitment to get to the bottom of the cause as quickly as possible and to put in place whatever measures are necessary to ensure that it does not happen again.
Subjects
Disclosure of information; Detainees; Defence equipment; Inquiries; Iraq; Peacekeeping operations; Navy; Valuation; Territorial waters; Seized articles; Iran; HMS Cornwall
Date
17 April 2007
Reference
691 c119
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, the Minister referred to the handover of Maysan province in his Answer, and said that it would take place shortly. We had in earlier Statements an assumption that it would be handed over at the end of last year; that was delayed until early spring and in the Statement on 21 February, it was said to be in the next few months. Is ““shortly”” earlier or later than in the next few months?
My Lords, the Minister referred to the handover of Maysan province in his Answer, and said that it would take place shortly. We had in earlier Statements an assumption that it would be handed over at the end of last year; that was delayed until early spring and in the Statement on 21 February, it was said to be in the next few months. Is ““shortly”” earlier or later than in the next few months?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
28 March 2007
Earlier, my Lords.
Subjects
Armed forces; Deployment; Iraq; Peacekeeping operations
Date
28 March 2007
Reference
690 c1640
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, I am sure the noble Lord, Lord Drayson, will advise the Minister that we depend greatly on our military reservists in military operations. There is now a high degree of confusion within the reserve community and among employers about the exact situation regarding the requirement for rest periods. Can the information be put on the Ministry of Defence website via the Department for Transport so that everyone knows what the rules are? If this has implications for the number of our reserves, can we have a statement on how it is to be handled by the Ministry of Defence?
My Lords, I am sure the noble Lord, Lord Drayson, will advise the Minister that we depend greatly on our military reservists in military operations. There is now a high degree of confusion within the reserve community and among employers about the exact situation regarding the requirement for rest periods. Can the information be put on the Ministry of Defence website via the Department for Transport so that everyone knows what the rules are? If this has implications for the number of our reserves, can we have a statement on how it is to be handled by the Ministry of Defence?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
22 March 2007
My Lords, I am sure it can be put on the website. I know that the Ministry of Defence fully supports the spirit of this legislation and for many years has had measures in place to ensure that people are not unduly exposed to the risks I referred to earlier. I agree with the noble Lord that there is a dependence on reservists. They play a very important part in our operations.
Subjects
Armed forces; Driving; EU law; Fire and rescue services; Reserve forces; Working hours; Voluntary work; Special constables; Territorial Army
Date
22 March 2007
Reference
690 c1338
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, in his Answer the Minister spoke of the working groups, one of which is on border security. As I understand it, it is between the neighbouring states and Iraq. Is there a mechanism for the UK to be represented, given the special concerns we have about transit across the Iran/Iraq border?
My Lords, in his Answer the Minister spoke of the working groups, one of which is on border security. As I understand it, it is between the neighbouring states and Iraq. Is there a mechanism for the UK to be represented, given the special concerns we have about transit across the Iran/Iraq border?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
15 March 2007
My Lords, the working groups are just starting. I am not yet 100 per cent clear who they will look to for additional outside support. Recently we had some indications that expertise that we can bring to bear in this area would be regarded as valuable by those in the region who have to face the difficulties, and we stand ready to give that expertise.
Subjects
Iraq; International cooperation; Security
Date
15 March 2007
Reference
690 c829
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, to correct the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, I have also flown in and out of Gibraltar.
My Lords, I have to tell the Minister that the approaches there are what are technically called by airmen pretty hairy on occasion. Will he take back the questions that my noble friend Lord Chidgey asked as they relate to important aspects of future flight safety at Gibraltar?
My Lords, to correct the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, I have also flown in and out of Gibraltar.
My Lords, I have to tell the Minister that the approaches there are what are technically called by airmen pretty hairy on occasion. Will he take back the questions that my noble friend Lord Chidgey asked as they relate to important aspects of future flight safety at Gibraltar?
Asked by
Lord Garden
(Liberal Democrat)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
14 March 2007
My Lords, despite the hilarity that has accompanied this Question, all of these issues are important because they relate to aircraft safety. The points made by the noble Lord, Lord Chidgey, are important and should be taken into consideration.
Subjects
Safety; Air misses; Gibraltar Airport
Date
14 March 2007
Reference
690 c735
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords