The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department defines the necessary level of human control for the operation of systems such as the Phalanx system in automatic mode.
Mr Philip Dunne
Systems such as Phalanx are part of the multi-layered defence for our Units, which are governed by the appropriate Command decision processes employing Rules of Engagement authorised by the Ministry of Defence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2014-05-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many companies are registered to provide Green Deal assessments in Wales.
Gregory Barker
TheGreen Deal Oversight and Regulation Body (ORB) produces publically available information on the supply chain. The latest information is available by using the search tool at http://gdorb.decc.gov.uk/.
These organisations operate in different geographical locations and provide a wide variety of offers to consumers. Table 1.16 of the Department’s quarterly Official Statistics release shows the self-reported operational coverage of assessor organisations by Local Authority that they are expecting to operate within:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how levels of human control are defined in use of the ballistic sensor-fused munition and other similar systems which can operate in automatic mode.
Mr Philip Dunne
For existing automated systems, human control requires an authorised operator to set the pre-programmed parameters for the weapon system’s operation. Authority to activate such systems is given only in full accordance with the targeting directive for a specific theatre of operations, targeting policy and rules of engagement which ensure adherence to international humanitarian law.
The decision to deploy a particular weapon system in any given theatre of operations depends upon the context of that operation. It would be unreasonable to deny our Armed Forces the option of using the most appropriate weapons (including systems that can be operated in automatic mode) to engage legitimate military targets.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what safeguards are deployed to prevent a sensor-fused munition operating in automatic mode from confusing a military target with a civilian target.
Mr Philip Dunne
The targeting process, not the weapon, takes discrimination, proportionality and precautions in attack into account. The decision whether to use lethal force against a legitimate military target is made through a rigorous targeting process, the targeting directive for a specific theatre of operations and rules of engagement which ensure adherence to international humanitarian law.
Since 1999, when the requirement to do so under the Geneva Conventions Additional Protocol I Article 36 came into effect for the UK, all new weapons, means and methods of warfare entering service have been subjected to a review in order to ensure they are capable of being used lawfully in armed conflict. The UK is committed to upholding the Geneva Conventions and encourages others to do the same.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many acres of land are covered by solar farms in (a) Carmarthenshire, (b) Llanelli constituency, (c) each constitunecy in Wales and (d) each county in Wales.
Gregory Barker
DECC does not have data on the area of land covered by solar farms. There are currently 2 solar sites in Wales supported under the renewables obligation (totalling 12.2MW) and 2 sites (totalling 5MW) under the feed-in tariff scheme (FiTs) that are classified as ‘Stand-alone’ and are over 1MW in size. Information below country level is not available for sites in the Renewables Obligation. The sites accredited under FiTs are located in Monmouthshire.
The speech made by Nia Griffith, the Labour MP for Llanelli, in the House of Commons on 22 September 2022.
For years, countries in eastern Europe such as Poland and the Baltic states have been warning about Russia under Putin. We absolutely must recognise the gravity, scale and multifaceted nature of the threat and the lengths that Putin may go to.
While we have some encouraging bits of news, with terrain retaken in eastern Ukraine, we must not underestimate the scale of the challenges that remain. There is still extensive terrain to reconquer, the war efforts are taking a toll both on military personnel and on civilians, and Putin continues in his efforts to sow alienation and give false legitimacy to his invasion through the so-called referenda. A huge effort is also required to rebuild ruined towns and devastated communities.
Putin’s clear aim is to divide and conquer, so while the world is looking at the physical—the ground war and the threat of nuclear weapons—there is at the same time a huge propaganda war, sometimes more subtle and sometimes less so, trying to undermine the west’s unity and resolve, with internet users bombarded with clever false messages masquerading as the truth. I stress again to the Minister how important it is for the UK and allies to invest in combating internet warfare and mounting counter-offensives.
We need renewed efforts at diplomacy and at fostering unity. It is very important that we are putting money where our mouth is and supporting efforts in Ukraine. It is absolutely vital that we stand firm on sanctions, but we must foster the most positive and unified response from other countries. That includes, of course, investing Foreign Office expertise.
This is not just about Europe and NATO. In the wider world, how do we maintain world peace and deal with the bullies? First, we need to be strong and show strength. Appeasement does not work. In 2014, after the invasion of Crimea, the lack of action by the west was a monumental failure. We need to stand strong in the face of aggression. For all their imperfections, we need to rebuild our respect for international organisations such as the United Nations, and repair the damage caused by Trump when he belittled international organisations, tore up treaties and cut funding to important international programmes.
An important part of that international work is the need to tackle the gap between richer and poorer nations. Nations across the globe need reason to buy into international organisations and to feel that they are being heard. Coronavirus has taught us how interconnected we are, but that is also true in respect of security. We need to build up resilience and prosperity in developing nations, to stop them being used and manipulated by the world’s tyrants.
While continuing our direct support for Ukraine, we must also focus on fostering unity among our allies and taking a lead in world organisations to stand firm against Putin.
The tribute made by Dame Nia Griffith, the Labour MP for Llanelli, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to speak in tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I begin by expressing my most sincere condolences to her family on my behalf and on behalf of people across the constituency of Llanelli. Our thoughts are particularly with King Charles III, Her late Majesty’s other children, her grandchildren and their families. For them, this is a deeply personal loss. While they have always had to share the Queen—their mother and grandmother—with the public, that is particularly hard at this time of immense grief. For them, too, this follows so closely from the loss of their father and grandfather, the late Prince Philip.
I would like to set on the record my huge appreciation for the way that the Queen carried out her duties, shouldering an enormous workload and responsibility from a young age for a full 70 years, including working right into this week appointing the new Prime Minister. The Queen was exemplary in her dedication and commitment—an example to all of us in public life—but she went above and beyond that, taking a personal interest in matters and showing real empathy with people.
In Wales we were privileged to receive the Queen’s visits on many occasions. She has been with us for important moments in our nation’s history, including to open the National Assembly for Wales in 1999 and, last year, to open the sixth Session of the Senedd.
At the opening of the Senedd, a young woman from my constituency, Ffion Gwyther, was tasked with presenting Her Majesty with a bouquet of flowers. As Members can imagine, as that moment approached, Ffion was very nervous—but she need not have worried. The Queen looked at her and immediately understood the situation, putting her at ease by saying gently, “Are those flowers for me? How beautiful. They match my outfit.” That is a moment that Ffion will never forget, and it is just one of countless examples of how the Queen was always so kind and thoughtful in her approach and knew exactly how to handle the occasion and put a young woman at ease. During her reign, she will have touched millions in the same way.
It was not only on happy occasions that the Queen visited Wales. She will always be remembered for her visit to Aberfan in the aftermath of the terrible tragedy of 1966, when a slag heap buried the school. Speaking about her visit, Jeff Edwards, the last child to be rescued from the school, stressed the community’s appreciation, saying that people
“felt comfort from the fact that the Queen, who was the head of state, had come to a small mining village and had shown direct interest and concern for her subjects who had gone through this enormous event.”
The Queen’s role goes far beyond Wales and the UK to the Commonwealth. There we have seen huge changes and a complex transition from the empire to today’s Commonwealth. With such a range of nations, each with its own particular circumstances, it is no wonder that tensions have sometimes arisen, but we must recognise the crucial role that the Queen has played in maintaining a unique family of nations. There is no doubt that her wisdom and professionalism, her personal rapport with individuals and the very high esteem in which she is held have been pivotal in helping to smooth that transition and keep the Commonwealth together.
Going forward, the best tribute we can give is to follow her excellent example and to try to serve our communities with the same dedication and fortitude that she showed throughout her life. As we turn to the future, long live the King.
The speech made by Nia Griffith, the Labour MP for Llanelli, in the House of Commons on 8 September 2022.
I, too, send my best wishes to Her Majesty and her family.
We all recognise the need to help people with their fuel bills, and there is huge support among the public for a further windfall tax on oil and gas companies. As the companies have explained, they would still have plenty of money for future investment even after paying an additional windfall tax. The point is that the money is on the table now for the Government to use to help the people of the UK with their fuel bills. Under the Government’s plan, however it is worked out, the help will be paid for by taxpayers. It is utterly disgraceful that the Government are not imposing a windfall tax to cover these energy costs.
I welcome that the Prime Minister mentioned those who are off the grid and who rely on heating oil, and those living in homes with arrangements such as the park homes on Poplar Court in Cross Hands, who are not directly billed by an energy company. All these households need to know, as soon as possible, how and when they will receive support and exactly how much it will be.
The Government have an appalling record on home insulation, energy efficiency, renewables and the transition away from fossil fuels. We have repeatedly called for a massive investment programme to insulate 9 million homes, 2 million of which could already have been done by this winter.
Investment in renewables is vital to tackling climate change and increasing energy security, but the economic case is ever stronger with these rapidly rising and unpredictable gas prices. The Tory Government have wasted years of precious time for the development of renewables, including through the moratorium on constructing onshore wind farms in England and the reduction in support for solar panels. We should have been far further ahead by now in our production of electricity through renewable means, and the fact we are not is due to this Government’s abject failure to stimulate the production of renewables.
Luckily, we have devolved powers in Wales and we were able to continue with the development of wind power, but the Conservative Government were reluctant to look at the Swansea tidal lagoon. Now, thanks to the initiative, imagination and hard work of the Labour-controlled city and county of Swansea, the project will go forward.
The Government also cut the plans to electrify the railway line from Cardiff to Swansea, and they have no plans to electrify further into west Wales, on the grounds that it would not shorten journey times. If we generate electricity from renewables, electrification would not help to tackle climate change but would bring price stability.
Words are not enough. We now need the Government to make a massive effort to increase the production of electricity from all forms of renewables: onshore and offshore wind; tidal and other marine technologies; and solar. Importantly, they also need to invest in the national grid to ensure that we can all benefit from this renewable production. We want action.
The comments made by Nia Griffith, the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, on 20 May 2021.
Instead of investing in the tools that Wales needs as a strong and vital part of a successful United Kingdom, years of cuts and underfunding by this UK Government have hit Welsh families and left Wales worse off.
Despite their promises, successive Conservative governments have completely failed to provide Wales with the kind of funding that is needed.
That this plan has been drawn up without any engagement with the newly-elected Welsh Labour Government is testament to the Conservatives’ approach of overlooking Wales at any opportunity.