Contributions
400 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNuclear Test Veterans: SupportMy Lords, all Governments take the issues of veterans extremely seriously. As I said earlier, the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan is a further attempt to offer veterans additional…02 May 2024HANSARDNuclear Test Veterans: SupportMy Lords, the broad issue of compensation is very thorny. Obviously, compensation needs to be evidence-based and appropriate and it needs to follow the correct tracks. I do not…02 May 2024HANSARDNuclear Test Veterans: SupportMy Lords, I can. Just over 22,000 individuals come into scope. We have received 4,800 applications. Of those, 4,400 have been approved. An assessment is going on because of some…02 May 2024HANSARDNuclear Test Veterans: SupportMy Lords, the opportunities for nuclear test veterans are the same as for all veterans who are now in civilian life. All veterans can seek support from the Veterans Welfare…02 May 2024HANSARDNuclear Test Veterans: SupportMy Lords, we are grateful to all service and civilian personnel who participated in the British nuclear testing programme and contributed to keeping our nation secure. That is…02 May 2024HANSARDNuclear Test Veterans: SupportYes, my Lords, I agree with that. It has been widely recognised. A lot of the data that is held is extremely historic and, at times, what the issue really is can get blurred. As I…02 May 2024HANSARDNuclear Test Veterans: SupportMy Lords, I entirely agree.02 May 2024HANSARDNuclear Test Veterans: SupportMy Lords, no medical records have been withheld from veterans before, during or after participation. Records can be accessed via subject access request under the Data Protection…02 May 2024HANSARDUK Armed Forces in Middle EastMy Lords, there were about six different questions there. First, I confirm that the UK Armed Forces operate under a number of international coalitions in the Middle East and have…01 May 2024HANSARDUK Armed Forces in Middle EastMy Lords, the diplomatic situation with Iran is that we are using every possible effort to quieten down what could have become an extremely dangerous situation. So far, that…01 May 2024HANSARDUK Armed Forces in Middle EastMy Lords, I cannot remember the first question, but on the question of talking with the Israeli Government, we continue to press them on international aid to open up as many…01 May 2024HANSARDUK Armed Forces in Middle EastMy Lords, I certainly will and would. We are part of international coalitions and there is a certain level of sensitivity around precisely which states are involved in what. But I…01 May 2024HANSARDUK Armed Forces in Middle EastMy Lords, I can give an absolute assurance that that report was pure speculation. That is exactly where the situation remains.01 May 2024HANSARDUK Armed Forces in Middle EastI thank my noble friend for that question. It was indeed under Operation Shader, which has been in place since 2014. In fact, I answered a question about this the other day. The…01 May 2024HANSARDUK Armed Forces in Middle EastMy Lords, I could not pay greater tribute to our forces out there, whether on “Diamond”, “Lancaster” or “Cardigan Bay”. They are all providing absolutely critical support to an…01 May 2024HANSARDUK Armed Forces in Middle EastMy Lords, I entirely agree about the importance of these ships—what better example than “Cardigan Bay”, which is providing an absolutely vital role in supporting our allies to…01 May 2024HANSARDUK Armed Forces in Middle EastMy noble friend makes an extremely good point. The prioritisation of all the activities that we are engaged in through the UK Armed Forces is extremely important. To be ready to…01 May 2024HANSARDDefence SpendingMy Lords, the 72,000 figure comes from the Chancellor’s desire to move the size of the Civil Service back to the situation in 2019, before the Covid virus struck. The Civil…25 Apr 2024HANSARDDefence SpendingMy Lords, I assure the noble Baroness that exactly those conversations have taken place, and that is one of the reasons why it has perhaps taken slightly longer to get to this…25 Apr 2024HANSARDDefence SpendingThe noble Lord makes a very good point. Most of the conversations about the issues Ukraine is facing start with air defence missiles. It is not just Ukraine but other states that…25 Apr 2024