Contributions
1,619 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAfghanistan: Locally Employed CiviliansI thank the noble Baroness and I join her in paying tribute to the tremendous support offered by locally employed civilians as our interpreters, working hand in hand with us in…22 Sept 2020HANSARDAfghanistan: Locally Employed CiviliansMy Lords, Home Office Immigration Rules stipulate that applications for relocation under the cross-government Afghan ex-gratia scheme for former locally employed civilians must be…22 Sept 2020HANSARDAfghanistan: Locally Employed CiviliansI wish to reassure the noble Baroness that the expansion of the scheme is clear and the criteria surrounding it equally so. It is anticipated that there are interpreters in…22 Sept 2020HANSARDAfghanistan: Locally Employed CiviliansThe history of how we engage with a local population when we need the supply and support of interpretation services indicates that they are highly regarded and very well treated.…22 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportI reassure the noble Baroness that we are preparing for whatever scenarios unfold as we approach winter. We will use the Cabinet Office-endorsed reasonable worst-case scenario,…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportBecause of Covid-19, now more than ever we must be mindful of the long-term consequences of the decisions we take and of how the crisis could shift the context in which we operate…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportI can reassure my noble friend that the safety and welfare of our people are paramount. Measures are in place to safeguard them and to reduce the risk to both them and their…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportI am unable to give the noble Lord a specific answer on the number who are absent. I have data for the number of people who are tested and the proportion of these who prove…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportI know the noble Lord is anxious to draw me on some specifics, but he will not be surprised to learn that I am not going there. The integrated review is under way, and it is a…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportI am going to undertake to write to the noble Lord with more detail. I do not have sufficient information before me to respond to his question.10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportI say to my noble friend that what the Armed Forces have been doing has rightly drawn admiration, as has already been indicated in the Chamber. These activities require training,…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportObviously, at specific times certain personnel have been affected, depending on their health situation. We have taken steps to enable safe training, including social distancing…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportMy Lords, the Ministry of Defence has continued to deliver its essential outputs throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. While non-critical outputs were scaled back at the early stages…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportThe noble Lord is quite correct that decisions were taken to pause certain exercises, and that was the correct decision with regard to the safety and well-being of those who…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportI will have to undertake to write to the noble and gallant Lord with a more specific response. I can say that, in general, arrangements were made for isolation and that these…10 Sept 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Military Operations and SupportI thank my noble friend for her tribute to the Armed Forces; it enables me to put on the record my absolutely unbounded admiration for all they have done in the most extraordinary…10 Sept 2020HANSARDBritish Overseas Troops: Civil Liability ClaimsI will answer the latter part of the noble Lord’s question first. I cannot comment on a specific case but, clearly, every individual is entitled to seek legal advice and consider…20 Jul 2020HANSARDBritish Overseas Troops: Civil Liability ClaimsI thank the noble Lord for his question. The Government are committed to introducing these protections to provide greater certainty for our service personnel and veterans. The…20 Jul 2020HANSARDBritish Overseas Troops: Civil Liability ClaimsI reassure the noble Baroness that this Bill will not abolish the right of people to make claims. It puts into context that a time limit will now surround when those claims can be…20 Jul 2020HANSARDBritish Overseas Troops: Civil Liability ClaimsClause 3, to which my noble and learned friend refers, requires that a prosecutor must take into account the “exceptional demands and stresses” of overseas operations and the…20 Jul 2020