Tag: Flick Drummond

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of building the new general purpose frigate class in parallel with the Type 26 programme.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Ministry of Defence has commenced pre-concept work on the new class of light General Purpose Frigate (GPFF) which will help inform the overall approach to the surface maritime programme following Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

As this work is in its very early stages it is not possible to make an assessment of the feasibility of building the GPFF in parallel with the Type 26 Global Combat Ships, or what the potential merits of that approach would be.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the power systems upgrade for the Type 45 destroyer will commence fitting; and whether that work will be carried out by a contractor using facilities at HMNB Portsmouth for each ship in the class.

Mr Philip Dunne

On the question of when the power systems upgrade for the Type 45 Destroyers will commence, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 25149 on 8 February 2016 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Mr Douglas Chapman).

A decision on where the work will be carried out will be taken when the technical option and delivery model have been selected.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of fitting Mark 41 vertical launch capability to the Type 45 destroyer.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 directed that further investigation be undertaken into the potential of the Type 45 Destroyers to operate in a Ballistic Missile Defence role. This work is under way and a range of potential capability development routes are being considered. It would be inappropriate to comment on specific missile systems at this stage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote the participation of women in the Syrian peace negotiations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK is committed to peace talks between the Syrian parties, under UN auspices in Geneva and continues to work closely with the International Syria Support Group. The UK encouraged the UN Special Envoy for Syria and the Syrian opposition to include women in the negotiations. The UN established a Women’s Advisory Board and the opposition’s negotiating team includes women.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote the participation of women in the Syrian peace negotiations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK is committed to peace talks between the Syrian parties, under UN auspices in Geneva and continues to work closely with the International Syria Support Group. The UK encouraged the UN Special Envoy for Syria and the Syrian opposition to include women in the negotiations. The UN established a Women’s Advisory Board and the opposition’s negotiating team includes women.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the invitation to tender to be issued for the franchise currently held by South West trains.

Claire Perry

The Department is finalising the specification for the South Western franchise so that it offers the best possible proposition for passengers. I expect to issue the Invitation to Tender later this month.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the funding available for capital projects in the Wessex area during Control Period 6 of the Network Rail plan.

Claire Perry

The process for defining our priorities for investment in enhancements to the rail network – including in the Wessex area – for the funding period after March 2019 will start over the coming year taking into account the recommendations of the Bowe and Shaw reviews and the re-plan carried out by Sir Peter Hendy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of changes to funding levels on the provision of breastfeeding services.

Ben Gummer

There has been no assessment made on the effect of changes to funding levels on the provision of breastfeeding services. However, the Department is working with Public Health England and other stakeholders to develop a method and sources of information to monitor the impact of its policy on infant feeding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to support breastfeeding services; and what assessment he has made of the importance of breastfeeding to national health policy.

Ben Gummer

Support and information about breastfeeding is currently available to health professionals and parents through: the NHS Choices website under the Start4Life banner; the National Breastfeeding Helpline; UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative; and local peer support programmes.

Parents-to-be and new mums and dads can also sign up to the Start4life Information Service for Parents. Subscribers receive regular free emails, videos and SMS messages offering high quality advice and information, based on the stage of pregnancy and the age of the child, including breastfeeding support. The service also signposts parents to other quality assured information about parenting, relationship support and benefits advice.

Breastfeeding delivers significant health benefits both for the mother and her baby and is more cost effective for mothers than other methods of infant feeding. A mother’s milk provides a perfect balance of nutrients and vitamins, so exclusive breastfeeding is all a baby needs for around the first six months. This is why the Department in line with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guidelines encourages exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Type 26 frigate will be able to operate across the full range of climatic conditions in which the Royal Navy operates.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Type 26 Global Combat Ship will be designed for joint and multinational operations from the tropics and Arabian Gulf in the summer to the sub-Arctic. The ship’s design will accommodate a broad range of environmental conditions to deliver a globally deployable ship throughout its planned life.

I am withholding further detail as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.