Contributions
1,619 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArmed Forces Act (Continuation) Order 2021That the draft order laid before the House on 18 January be approved.11 Feb 2021HANSARDArmed Forces Act (Continuation) Order 2021My Lords, a few days ago many of your Lordships will have listened intently to and reflected on the debate on the Armed Forces Bill as it passed through its Second Reading in the…11 Feb 2021HANSARDArmed Forces Act (Continuation) Order 2021My Lords, we have had an excellent debate this afternoon; it has been both passionate and constructive, and I thank all noble Lords for their contributions. What has shone through…11 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi InterpretersWe will certainly await the outcome of the investigation. If unacceptable conduct is exposed, we shall then determine how best to deal with that. We would take any such breaches…01 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi InterpretersYes, I will I certainly offer that reassurance to my noble friend. Part of the reason that we are currently carrying out this investigation is that we want to know what happened…01 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi InterpretersMy Lords, although the Ministry of Defence does not employ interpreters directly in Iraq, its contractors are held to the highest standards. The MoD takes any breach of personal…01 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi Interpreters[ Inaudible. ]—give rise to concern. But, as the noble Lord will know, we are part of a concerted endeavour against Daesh and we are there at the invitation of the Government of…01 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi InterpretersMindful of the vital job that interpreters do when they assist our Armed Forces on overseas operations, we would be very vigilant in trying to ensure that they were not placed at…01 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi InterpretersI cannot pre-empt or prejudge the outcome of the inquiry that is currently taking place. I have already offered to update the noble Baroness, Lady Coussins, and I can update the…01 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi InterpretersI confirm to the noble Lord that when the MoD uses a third-party contractor to source interpreting services, strict conditions of contract apply, and these are incorporated into…01 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi Interpreters[ Inaudible. ]—and I recommend that everyone should get it done the moment they get the invitation. We take these obligations very seriously. In Iraq, as has been referred to, a…01 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi InterpretersI can confirm to the noble Baroness that the investigation will involve speaking to the contractor. Steps have already been taken to interview personnel concerned with Operation…01 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi InterpretersI cannot give the historic number of interpreters employed in Iraq, but I understand that at the time of this incident, which is currently being investigated, there were eight UK…01 Feb 2021HANSARDIntegrated Review: New ShipsThe noble Lord raises an important question. Of course, for five of those 10 years, his party was part of the coalition Government, sharing responsibility for the Ministry of…25 Jan 2021HANSARDIntegrated Review: New ShipsMy noble friend raises an important point, which effectively goes to the heart of why we have Royal Naval assets and what we think their primary purpose is. I reassure him that we…25 Jan 2021HANSARDIntegrated Review: New ShipsMy Lords, the scale of the shipbuilding capacity contemplated for the next decade and beyond is a very positive message for jobs. We all acknowledge that when shipbuilding orders…25 Jan 2021HANSARDIntegrated Review: New ShipsMy Lords, our industrial partners in Scotland, principally BAE and Babcock, are trusted industrial partners doing what is acknowledged to be tremendous work in shipbuilding the…25 Jan 2021HANSARDIntegrated Review: New ShipsIt is right to refer to what the Prime Minister said because he recognised what had been, frankly, a corrosive problem in the way in which the procurment of Royal Naval assets was…25 Jan 2021HANSARDIntegrated Review: New ShipsMy Lords, in the timetabling of shipbuilding and the estimated dates for taking delivery and for vessels being in service, a close eye is kept on the need to maintain our key…25 Jan 2021HANSARDIntegrated Review: New ShipsMy Lords, the department is currently developing plans for a new class of frigate and research vessel to support UK interests. Following the concept phases, yet to be launched,…25 Jan 2021