Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Armed Forces Personnel

Wednesday 9 September 2020 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • British armed forces personnel in Scotland play a crucial role in defending the whole UK, and my Department meets regularly with the Ministry of Defence to address concerns specific to Scotland.
  • The United Kingdom Government made an annual payment to protect British armed forces personnel in Scotland from discriminatory taxation imposed by the SNP Government.
  • Our armed forces have been instrumental in the Government's response to the pandemic, providing support in the distribution of PPE, testing facilities, and patient transportation.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mark Jenkinson
Defence Scotland
Context

No specific event or statistic is mentioned, but the question asks about steps to support UK armed forces based in Scotland.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to support British armed forces personnel based in Scotland?

Answer from Alister Jack

British armed forces personnel in Scotland play a crucial role in defending the whole UK, and my Department meets regularly with the Ministry of Defence to help raise concerns that are specific to Scotland. I feel particularly indebted to the armed forces in Scotland, who keep us safe at home and abroad and who assisted with such dedication at the height of this covid pandemic.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps or mechanisms for support were not detailed

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Q2 Joy Morrissey Con Beaconsfield
Defence Taxation
Context

The SNP Government's decision to make Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK has threatened to put troops based there out of pocket.

Question

The SNP Government's decision to make Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK has threatened to put the many brave troops based there out of pocket through no fault of their own. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, because our armed forces serve the whole UK, it is only right that they are treated equally and fairly wherever they are based?

Answer from Alister Jack

I absolutely agree. Our armed forces perform a hugely important task in their service of the United Kingdom, and it is unacceptable that any member of them should be subject to discriminatory taxation. That is why the United Kingdom Government took the decision to make an annual payment to protect them from the Scottish Government's decision to make Scotland the highest taxed part of the United Kingdom.

Answered
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Q3 Mark Jenkinson
NHS Defence
Context

The British armed forces have contributed significantly to the national response to the covid-19 outbreak.

Question

British armed forces have contributed enormously to the national response to the covid-19 outbreak, supporting the distribution of personal protective equipment, assisting with testing facilities and transporting patients, for which Cumbria and my constituency of Workington are grateful. Will my right hon. Friend join me in thanking the armed forces for all their work during the pandemic, and can he confirm that every part of our United Kingdom will continue to benefit from their hard work?

Answer from Alister Jack

Our armed forces have been instrumental in the Government's response to the pandemic, and I give my deep thanks to them for that work. In Scotland, that has included military planning personnel for the Scottish Government's emergency co-ordination centre, Puma helicopters deployed to Kinloss to support the NHS in medical transport and airlift critically ill patients from the Scottish highlands, and the operating of pop-up mobile testing sites across Scotland.

Answered
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