Tag: Angus Robertson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what aid the Government has provided for the relief of flooding and landslides in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.

Mr David Lidington

I discussed the impact of the floods with Prime Minister Vucic of Serbia in Belgrade on 2 June and with Prime Minister Bevanda in Sarajevo on 3 June. During my visit to the region I also met the Serbian Red Cross and travelled to Maglaj in Bosnia-Herzegovina to meet the Mayor and representatives of World Vision.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), between 18 and 23 May a thirty-three person water rescue team from the British Fire Service was deployed to work alongside EUFOR Operation Althea and local rescue efforts. They rescued nearly 200 people, delivered large amounts of humanitarian aid, and helped restore power in villages North of Bijeljina.

In Serbia, the UK provided 64 radios for the Serbian Ministry of the Interior, to assist with the coordination of their response teams; and donated £280,000 worth of heavy lift and transport vehicles to the Serbian Red Cross to aid their relief distribution effort.

A team from the UK flew out to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the week commencing 20 May to assess likely humanitarian and recovery needs. During my visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina I was able to announce that the UK had approved £250,000 to support a World Vision flood response project in the region focussing on sanitation and health and providing support for 140,000 people made homeless by the floods.

In addition to this bilateral support, the UK provided support to BiH, Serbia and Croatia through the EU, UN and other international organisations. In BiH, EUFOR Operation Althea, to which the UK contributes troops in-theatre and in reserve, assisted the BiH Armed Forces in their response to the flooding. The First Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, who provide part of EUFOR’s intermediate reserve, and are in BiH for a routine operational rehearsal, will assist the BiH Armed Forces in this regard.

The UK has worked closely with the EU European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), and offered advice and assistance during all phases of the flood response effort. ECHO have released €3.2m in humanitarian aid to support the most vulnerable population in BiH and in Serbia (to which the UK will have contributed 15%).

The Government will work closely with the UNDP, the EU and other international organisations to assess what further help might be given to help both Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina recover from the impact of the floods.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the deviations or exemptions from the Military Air Systems Certification Process that allowed the inaugural flight of the Rivet Joint aircraft on May 27 2014 were the final form that will be used for all operations.

Mr Philip Dunne

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June 2014, (Official Report, column 364W), to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Alison Seabeck).

Ongoing work will progressively refine this release as additional information becomes available and further analysis is conducted.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assets his Department has sold and leased back over the last 12 months; what the sale price was of each asset so sold; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of leasing back each such asset over the period of the lease.

Dr Andrew Murrison

This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, normally the Ministry of Defence sells its assets with vacant possession, only leasing back properties for short periods pending relocation of the occupants.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on a Tornado Collision Warning System since 1991.

Mr Philip Dunne

Total spend from 1999 to 31 March 2014, including the concept, assessment and development, manufacture and In-service phase, is some £49.7 million.

It is not possible to confirm the total spend on a Tornado collision warning system prior to 1999; expenditure records are no longer held centrally and the retrieval of available information would be possible only at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the outbreak of the ebola virus in Western Africa.

Mark Simmonds

We continue to monitor the Ebola outbreak in West Africa closely. As of 6 June there had been over 220 confirmed cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

International health agencies are providing support to affected countries. There is no specific vaccine or anti-viral drug available, so the priority is to contain the outbreak by limiting human to human transmission by early identification and care for those affected.

We are keeping our Travel Advice for British nationals under regular review and in line with WHO guidance. There have been no reports of British citizens being infected and there have been no known imported cases of Ebola in the UK to date.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what event or risk of event led to the approval of the Collision Warning Technology Demonstrator Programme for fast jet aircraft; when that event was identified; and where that event is recorded.

Mr Philip Dunne

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 23 June 2014, (Official Report, column 98W).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) precision-guided munitions and (b) gravity bombs of each type have been dropped in Afghanistan by British (i) fixed-wing aircraft and (ii) unmanned aerial vehicles since 23 March 2011.

Mr Mark Francois

The number of precision-guided munitions dropped in Afghanistan in the period requested are shown in the table. No free fall bombs have been dropped in this time.

Aircraft Type	24 March 2011 to 16 June 2014[1]
Fixed Wing	71
Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS)	317

Use of force remains closely controlled and the avoidance of civilian casualties has been paramount. Professional crews carefully select the smallest warhead appropriate to the target being attacked to ensure they deliver the required effect, while minimising the risk to civilians.

All UK forces operate in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, following the principles of distinction, humanity, proportionality and military necessity. The UK’s clearly defined Rules of Engagement are formulated on this basis. The same strict Rules of Engagement that govern the use of conventional military aircraft also apply to RPAS and targets are always positively identified as legitimate military objectives. Reaper is the UK’s only RPAS with the ability to deploy precision-guided weapons.

[1] Inclusive