Tag: Graham Allen

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the comments made by a spokesperson of his Department made in an article published in the Herald newspaper on 10 January 2016, and pursuant to his oral contribution of 18 January 2016, Official Report, column 1118, if his Department will retrospectively re-examine reports of civilian casualties received from September 2014 to January 2016 to see whether any credible reports of potential civilian casualties from UK strikes were overlooked.

Penny Mordaunt

There has been no change in Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy with regard to considering external reports when making an assessment of possible civilian casualties resulting from air strikes.

The MOD takes allegations of civilian casualties very seriously and we do an assessment after every British strike of the damage that has been caused, and check very carefully whether there are likely to have been civilian casualties. As has always been the case, we continue to consider all available credible evidence to support such assessments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has (a) invested in and (b) made an assessment of the potential merits of acquiring unmanned underwater vehicles.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Royal Navy (RN) currently deploys unmanned systems to enhance maritime surveillance and improve situational awareness in a number of operational theatres.

Specifically for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV), the Hunt Class Mine Countermeasure Vessels employ a UUV for remote mine-disposal, known as the Seafox mine-disposal system. In addition, the Fleet Diving Squadron employs a small UUV for seabed searches.

It is widely recognised that autonomous systems offer a unique opportunity to maintain our operational advantage and the RN will therefore continue to explore how such systems can further augment its capabilities into the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his letter of 16 January 2016 to Chris Woods, leader of Airwars, whether British aircraft participated in any of the eight incidents cited by Mr Woods in his letter of 8 January 2016.

Michael Fallon

RAF aircraft were not involved in strikes in seven of the incidents cited by Mr Woods. The eighth incident was impossible to locate from the detail given in the letter: all information from the RAF air strike conducted on that particular day has been reviewed and there was no indication of any civilian casualties resulting from the strike.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2016 to Question 35297, which officials from which departments attended the meetings of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse; and whether the minutes from previous meetings of that group are made available to hon. Members.

Karen Bradley

Officials from the Home Office, Department for Education, Department for Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Justice, Department of Health, Department for Culture Media and Sport, and the Attorney General’s Office have attended meetings of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse. Minutes of the meetings are made available to hon. Members who sit on the Inter-Ministerial Group.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2016 to Question 23581, who the best official is to contact with credible reports from an external organisation of civilian casualties.

Penny Mordaunt

Any credible concerns or evidence relating to the possibility of civilian casualties caused by air strikes may be submitted to the Ministry of Defence Ministerial Correspondence Unit, Main Building, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB, or by email to ParliBranch-Treat-Official@mod.uk

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed increase in charges for NHS dentistry on people’s ability and inclination to visit a dentist regularly.

Alistair Burt

In considering the possible impact on patients of the increased charges for 2016/17 and for 2017/18, we concluded that the existing exemptions and Low Income Scheme will protect the most vulnerable, ensuring there should be no significant impact on an individual’s inclination to visit the dentist.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on income tax assignment to local government in England; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark

The Government is committed to giving local areas more control over their own resources. By 2020, local government will retain 100 per cent of business rates revenue, up from 50 per cent now.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons the role of chief superintendent for Nottingham at Nottinghamshire Police was removed on 1 May 2016; what consultation was carried out prior to that decision being made; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning

The decision on the deployment of available resources, including roles for chief superintendents, are operational matters for individual chief constables, working with their police and crime commissioners.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many three year olds received a free NHS dental check in (a) Nottingham North constituency, (b) Nottingham and (c) the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

Information is not collected centrally on the number of three year olds who received a free NHS dental examination. Information is available for the number of courses of treatment for 0-17 year olds that contained a dental examination.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the effect will be on the pension entitlement of the Deputy Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police of her promotion to acting Chief Constable.

Mike Penning

The Home Office does not hold information about the personal pension entitlement of any individual police officer.

Arrangements for the pensionable pay of chief officers on temporary promotion to a higher rank are set out in determinations made under the Police Regulations 2003. These state that after 28 days spent performing the duties of a chief constable, a deputy chief constable will be paid either a temporary salary (pensionable) at a rate equivalent to 90% of the higher rank’s basic pay or an honorarium (a non-pensionable payment) of an amount to be determined by the local policing body.

Pensionable pay is taken into account in calculating pension contributions and pension benefits, whereas any non-pensionable payments are not.