Tag: Paul Flynn

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what evaluation his Department made of the number and location of civilian workers who work at the al-Omar oil field in Syria before ordering Royal Air Force planes to bomb that facility; and how many civilians have been killed as a result of UK military action on targets in Syria to date.

Michael Fallon

UK air strikes are conducted in accordance with Rules of Engagement and International Humanitarian Law.The risks of collateral damage or civilian casualties are assessed and mitigated based on intelligence and the use of precision guided weapons. There have been no reports so far of civilian casualties as a result of UK air strikes in Syria.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date the decision was made not to proceed with developing a future theatre nuclear weapon (FTNW); and how much had been spent on (a) the vehicle element and (b) the warhead element of the FTNW programme up to that point.

Mr Philip Dunne

On 18 October 1993, the then Secretary of State for Defence informed Parliament (Official Report, column 32): "we have concluded that our previous requirement for a new stand-off nuclear weapon capability is not a sufficiently high priority to justify the procurement of a new nuclear system in the current circumstances. Instead, we will plan, after the WE177 eventually leaves service in the long term, on exploiting the flexibility and capability of the Trident system to provide the vehicle for the delivery of our sub-strategic deterrent."

Also on 19 July 1993 (HC Deb vol 229 cc83-4W), the then Minister for Defence Procurement provided the following information about expenditure to evaluate options for the Future Theatre Nuclear Weapon:

Expenditure to the end of March 1993 on studies of possible vehicles:

Year	£
1989-90	928,518
1990-91	1,372,329
1991-92	1,870,285
1992-93	2,658,471

Information on costs incurred on the Future Theatre Nuclear Weapon warhead programme was withheld for reasons of national security. Those reasons no longer apply but this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the costs were of operating the Truck Convoy Heavy Duty in each of the last three years.

Mr Philip Dunne

The operating costs for the Truck Convoy Heavy Duty (TCHD) for the last three financial years are provided in the table below.

	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Calculated TCHD Running Costs (£ VAT ex)	107,446	90,000	82,195

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to continue funding the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

Rory Stewart

The Government remains committed to tackling wildlife crime.

We are currently allocating our Spending Review settlement. Future funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit will be decided as part of that process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for projects supported by State Aid agreements of the UK leaving the EU.

Anna Soubry

The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed European Union.

As required by the EU Referendum Act 2015, the Government is committed to producing clear information, ahead of the Referendum, on: the outcome of the renegotiation, rights and obligations in European Union law, an assessment of alternatives to membership, and the process for leaving.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 3 March 2016, HCWS576, on Successor Submarine Assessment Phase, whether the sum of £642 million expenditure announced represents new expenditure over and above that originally budgeted for the Assessment Phase; whether that sum includes any money which has been the subject of earlier press announcements by his Department; and which projects of what value that sum has been allocated to fund.

Mr Philip Dunne

As announced in my Written Statement of 3 March 2016, HCWS576, the funding will supplement the Successor submarine programme Assessment Phase, taking that investment to £3.9 billion. The additional investment covers activity for Nuclear Propulsion systems, Facilities and Infrastructure, the Common Missile Compartment and submarine Design, including Design Assurance. All of the projects have previously been announced. I am withholding cost estimates as to release them would prejudice commercial interests.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that private contractors invest in prisons throughout the length of the management contract.

Andrew Selous

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is responsible for the management of the 14 private prisons in England and Wales.

The terms of each contract include an agreed level of service. There are financial remedies which apply where a provider fails to achieve this expected level of performance, making sure that they have an incentive to properly support the rehabilitation of offenders on an ongoing basis.

There are clear processes in place to monitor performance and identify emerging issues. Each private prison has an on-site Controller, accountable for providing assurance that the contracts for each prison are delivered in accordance with agreed contractual delivery indicators, and that the prison provides safe, decent and secure services in line with performance standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what effect the withdrawal of service providers from the Transforming Rehabilitation Programme has had on the projected numbers of prisoners able to take part in that programme.

Andrew Selous

No Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) has withdrawn from the Transforming Rehabilitation Programme. As part of the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, CRCs are required to deliver the services set out in their contract. CRCs can decide to contract with other organisations to deliver some of those services. If these sub-contractors decide to no longer provide services, the CRC will decide whether to re-tender or provide the service themselves. This should not affect the number of offenders able to access the services.

We are not restarting the tendering process for probation providers. CRCs are in the process of finalising their supply chains. Contract Management Teams closely monitor arrangements to ensure consistency of service provision and that prime and sub-contractors comply with the terms of an Industry Standard Partnering Agreement set out in the original tender documents.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-05-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Civil Contingencies Unit has made an assessment of the current levels of radioactive contamination existing in upland areas across the UK as a result of radioactive fallout in May 1986 following the Chernobyl nuclear accident in April 1986.

Matthew Hancock

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will require EDF Energy to restore the land cleared and prepared for the construction of the Hinkley C nuclear plant to its previous condition in the event of the EDF Board deciding not to take a Final Investment Decision on the plant.

Andrea Leadsom

Planning permission for site preparation works at Hinkley Point C was granted by the local planning authority, West Somerset Council under the Town and Country Planning Act (1990) and this included conditions and planning obligations on the circumstances and arrangements for site reinstatement.