Tag: Paul Flynn

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the factors contributing to the reclassification of Atlantic puffins as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Rory Stewart

The latest population trends indicate a recent decline in the population of UK puffins. This is thought to be due to a combination of factors, including climate change-related food shortages and inclement weather conditions during the breeding season.

The UK is currently undertaking a review of the terrestrial and coastal network of UK Special Protection Areas (SPA), classified under the EU Wild Birds Directive. The review will inform the need for any further SPA provision for this species.

The UK is also making good progress in identifying a number of SPAs in the marine environment to complete our network. These will be in addition to the existing 108 SPAs with marine components currently in place in the UK, which provide protection for just over 11,500km2 of seabird habitat.

Additionally in England, Natural England has been involved in projects to eradicate mammalian predators on Lundy and the Isles of Scilly which should improve the nesting conditions for breeding puffins.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13044, what assessment she has made of reasons for the delays in constructing reactors in China as requested in that question.

Andrea Leadsom

Whilst being a minority partner in the Taishan project, EDF expect Taishan to start generating power before the EPR at Flamanville in France, which EDF have estimated will be by the end of 2018.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support initiatives to increase hedgehog numbers.

Rory Stewart

Defra is working with partners to identify actions that will help the conservation of hedgehogs though the Terrestrial Biodiversity Group, chaired by Natural England.

In addition, the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package element of the new Countryside Stewardship scheme will deliver specific management focused on improving farmland biodiversity across most farming systems. The package supports management options, including the conservation and enhancement of hedgerow systems and the creation and maintenance of field margins, which will help to provide suitable habitat for a range of species, including hedgehogs.

We also welcome the work being undertaken by a number of non-government organisations in helping to establish the facts behind the decline of the hedgehog and raise public awareness.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what account was taken of the analysis in his Department’s 2014 report Global Strategic Trends, published by the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre on the future context for defence and security to 2045 when preparing the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

Michael Fallon

Throughout the Review, including the preparatory phase, we considered the 2014 Global Strategic Trends report to inform our priorities and the context of the decisions made in the final Strategic Defence and Security Review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is planned that RAF pilots will rely upon information provided by personnel on the ground to identify and attack targets territory in Syria occupied by ISIS.

Penny Mordaunt

The information used to identify and strike targets is derived from a number of different sources and assessed rigorously for compliance with UK rules of engagement, UK law and international law. It is not our practice to comment in detail on how specific operational targets are derived, as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the implications for implementing his Department’s policies for combatting climate change and decarbonising electricity generation of the Trade in Services Agreement.

Anna Soubry

The Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) negotiation is ongoing. A full sustainable impact assessment is being conducted on the TISA. The terms of reference of the report include analysis of the impact of the TISA on climate change. The final inception report can be found on the EU’s website.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not carried out any additional assessments in relation to the impact of the agreement on wider climate change policies, but works closely with the Department of Energy and Climate Change on the content of the Agreement to ensure it aligns with the UK’s wider policy objectives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the fitness-for-purpose of the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) Regulations 2007 and their applicability to technical developments for unmanned aerial vehicles since their coming into force in 2007.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The airspace over UK nuclear licensed sites is restricted by the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Nuclear Installations) regulations 2007. These impose restricted airspace of a radius between 0.5 and 2 miles to a height of between 1000 and 2400 feet around the centre of all nuclear sites. Airspace usage in the UK is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Therefore it is a criminal offence to fly in the vicinity of nuclear sites without the permission of the CAA. The CAA and nuclear sites work closely together on this.

All of Britain’s nuclear power stations are robust and designed with safety in mind and are stress-tested to withstand a vast range of potential incidents. The independent regulator continuously monitors and evaluates the safety of each plant alongside the operator to protect it from outside threats.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what conditions the Government considers need to be met for the UK to divest itself of nuclear weapons through international negotiations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK has a strong record on nuclear disarmament. As The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon) set out in his Written Ministerial Statement of 20 January 2015 (Official Report, column 4WS) the Government has met its commitment to implement the changes announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 to reduce the number of operationally available warheads from fewer than 160 to no more than 120.

As set out in the recent 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we consider that our nuclear deterrent is the ultimate means to deter the most extreme threats. The UK will retain a credible, continuous and effective minimum nuclear deterrent for as long as the global security situation makes it necessary.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-01-27.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which companies have had meetings with Ministers of his Department since May 2015 to discuss those companies’ tax status.

Mr David Gauke

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available on Gov.uk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make ithis policy to assess the potential merits of the pledge by the Austrian government set out in the report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, A Pledge to Fill the Legal Gap, published in February 2015 for the work of the UN Open Ended Working Group on multilateral disarmament negotiations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK is committed to creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons in accordance with the goals of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, in a way that promotes international stability, and is based on the principle of undiminished security for all. The Austrian pledge to stigmatise, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons runs counter to the step-by-step disarmament process; and it does not take into account the current global security and stability challenges. The UN Disarmament machinery and the Non-Proliferation Treaty provide the right framework for working towards a world without nuclear weapons.