Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to assign assets to the Nordic Baltic Alliance. [41783]

The Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP; Secretary of State: The United Kingdom has no established relations with any entity known as the 'Nordic Baltic Alliance'. It is assumed that the hon. Member refers to the Northern Group, a collaborative grouping of willing sovereign nations in Northern Europe that currently enjoys the participation of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden. The Northern Group does not require its participants to assign assets to it nor has any participating nation announced plans to do so. United Kingdom Ministry of Defence officials are engaged with their counterparts across the Group to identify opportunities for collaboration which offer clear mutual benefits.