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45497

	registered interest
	date	26/03/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what investigations and fact-finding inquiries they have established into the incidents of civilian casualties caused by drone strikes in Afghanistan.
	tabling member printed	Lord Judd
	uin	HL6362
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2014 answer text <p>I refer my noble Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister for the Armed Forces (Andrew Robathan), in the House of Commons on 21 May 2013, (Official Report, column 714W) and the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Armed Forces (Mark Francois), in the House of Commons on 7 November 2013, (Official Report, column 307W).</p> answering member printed Lord Astor of Hever attachment 1 file name Hansard extract 21 May 2013.doc title Hansard extract 21 May 2013 2 file name Hansard extract 7 November 2013.doc title Hansard extract 7 November 2013 question first answered 09/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3428 label Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

747398

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to introduce a clear and coherent policy on the use of armed drones for counter-terrorism purposes, both within and outside areas of armed conflict.
	tabling member printed	Lord Judd
	uin	HL362
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK's policy on using force overseas is clear. It will always be in line with international law and UK law, and bounded by UK rules of engagement, targeting directives and operational directives. The same law, policy and rigorous targeting process are adhered to whether the weapons platform is an armed Remotely Piloted Air System or a piloted aircraft. We have, and we will, exercise an inherent right to self-defence against both armed attacks and imminent threats of armed attack, in accordance with international law.</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 11/07/2017 15:10:57 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

747399

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they are introducing to ensure that the use of armed drones for counter-terrorism is capable of being subject to parliamentary scrutiny and accountability.
	tabling member printed	Lord Judd
	uin	HL363
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government is not introducing arrangements specifically for armed Remotely Piloted Air Systems, above and beyond the existing parliamentary scrutiny and accountability for any use of force. Using force is subject to the same rigorous scrutiny, regardless of the weapons platform employed.</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 11/07/2017 15:11:17 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

747400

	registered interest
	date	03/07/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on the development of autonomy in weapons systems; and what action they are taking to build consensus for international action to control the development and deployment of lethal autonomous weapons systems.
	tabling member printed	Lord Judd
	uin	HL364
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2017 answer text <p>Current UK policy is that the operation of weapon systems will always be under human control and that no planned offensive systems are to have the capability to prosecute targets without the involvement of a human. The UK considers the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) the right forum in which to discuss lethal autonomous weapons systems. The UK is a proactive State Party to the CCW and participates fully in discussions within the CCW.</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 11/07/2017 15:11:41 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

747987

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to strengthen UN peacekeeping, including support for the rapid response capacity; and what role they envisage for the Royal Marines and SAS in this respect.
	tabling member printed	Lord Judd
	uin	HL441
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK is providing a leading voice on strengthening UN peacekeeping including through its permanent seat in the UN Security Council.</p><p> </p><p>In September 2016, we hosted the UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial in London, with 74 nations and international organisations, and launched the UN reform agenda based on the '3Ps': better mission planning, increasing the number of meaningful pledges of troops and equipment, and improving the performance on the ground. It was a major peacekeeping conference, which secured 30 new pledges of troops and equipment, including for rapid response, and a reform-focused communiqué signed by 63 countries. The UK continues to drive forward this reform agenda with senior UN officials, Member States, and the UN Security Council.</p><p> </p><p>We are working closely with the Canadian hosts of the 2017 Defence Ministerial, which will maintain a focus on strengthening UN peacekeeping through reform, matching UN capability needs with pledges, innovation in training, protecting the vulnerable, and improved early warning mechanisms. The UK also seeks to strengthen UN peacekeeping through deploying our own troops on UN peacekeeping missions, and by using our operational experience to inform UN reform policy discussions in New York.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 18/07/2017 15:26:31 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

100576

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Afghanistan
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what strategic policy on the use of armed drones was put in place before withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
	tabling member printed	Lord Judd
	uin	HL2313
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p>Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) have played a vital role in supporting UK and coalition forces in Afghanistan. On current plans, in line with the withdrawal of UK combat troops, all of the UK Reaper RPAS will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of the year. Her Majesty's Government has been clear it plans to retain the Reaper RPAS, principally for its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Reaper can be utilised in a variety of environments and roles and has recently been deployed to support operations the Middle East</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Astor of Hever question first answered 04/11/2014 16:53:57 answering member 3428 label Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

797268

	registered interest
	date	29/11/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between morale and overstretched resources in the armed services; and what steps they intend to take to remedy this situation.
	tabling member printed	Lord Judd
	uin	HL3700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2017 answer text <p>The management of morale in the Armed Forces is a high priority for Defence. The Department seeks to measure morale in a robust, consistent and scientific manner, through forums such as the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey. Morale is influenced by many variables and the Department has made no specific assessment of a relationship with resourcing.</p><p> </p><p>We have launched the Armed Forces Families Strategy and the Armed Forces Covenant to improve the Service Offer and lived experience of Service personnel.</p><p> </p><p>We are also developing a number of other initiatives under the Armed Forces People Programme which is focused on modernising the employment offer for Service personnel to allow us to attract and retain the right mix of people and skills.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 12/12/2017 15:30:47 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

713702

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Army: Young People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they are making to ensure that the Army Review of Junior Entry (1) seeks and considers external evidence, (2) considers how the armed services can be exemplary standard setters in fulfilling their duty of care and support for young recruits, and (3) examines the proportion of young Army recruits who are destined for a future in the infantry; and what assessment they have made of the implications of the higher death and casualty rates in the infantry service for recruitment practices.
	tabling member printed	Lord Judd
	uin	HL6299
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2017 answer text <p>I refer the noble Lord to the answers given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces (Mike Penning), in the House of Commons on 27 February 2017 to Question number 64193 and on 14 March 2017 to Question number 67005. The Army is consulting with the Departments for Education, Health and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.</p><p> </p><p>The Army is conducting a review of its Junior Entry policy to ensure it attracts the best young people and continues to maximise the talent of the individual, to the mutual advantage of both the young person and the Army. The review will report initial findings later this year.</p><p> </p><p>All recruits joining the Army, including those between the ages of 16 and 18, are recruited into a variety of roles depending on their aptitude and available vacancies. The Ministry of Defence does not make assessments of death and casualty rates in the context of recruitment practices.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 04/04/2017 14:18:19 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe attachment 1 file name Hansard Extracts -.docx title Army: Young People
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

654283

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2016
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Autonomous Weapons
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to establish a group of government experts at the forthcoming Review Conference on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons to consider what legal agreements are required for the management and control of the development of virtual autonomous weapons systems and the necessary level of human control for compliance with international law.
	tabling member printed	Lord Judd
	uin	HL3948
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2016 answer text <p>The decision to establish a Group of Government Experts (GGE) to discuss the issue of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems will be taken by consensus by all High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. The UK supports of the formation of a GGE subject to agreement on the mandate for such a group.</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 12/12/2016 16:42:41 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

654284

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2016
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Autonomous Weapons
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the threat to UK interests of the development of virtual autonomous weapons systems across the world; and what part effective international regulation could play in controlling the development of such systems.
	tabling member printed	Lord Judd
	uin	HL3949
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2016 answer text <p>The Government of the United Kingdom does not possess fully autonomous weapon systems and have no intention of developing them. Such systems are not yet in existence and are not likely to be for many years, if at all. The UK believes that international law, in particular, international humanitarian law, remains the correct framework for governing the use of all weapons systems, including fully autonomous ones.</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 12/12/2016 16:43:39 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd