The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to review the assessment principles on imperative reasons of overriding public interest in big energy planning projects.
Andrea Leadsom
These are requirements under European Law. There are no plans to review the assessment principles on imperative reasons of overriding public interest in big energy planning projects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s policies of the report published in December 2015 by the Global Carbon Project on trends in greenhouse gas emissions.
Andrea Leadsom
The Global Carbon Project Report 2015 sets out global CO2 emission trends from 1870 to 2015. The UK accounts for 1.2% of global emissions and remains committed to meeting our climate change target of an at least 80% emissions reduction by 2050. The UK has already made great progress towards that goal having reduced emissions by around 30% since 1990.
In Paris, we reached an historic agreement, with the whole world committing to action which they are held to account on for the first time ever. This marks a clear turning point towards a sustainable and low carbon future. Countries will now have to come together regularly to review their climate plans and collectively ensure that the necessary action is being taken to tackle climate change.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the UK’s Future Nuclear Deterrent: 2015 Update to Parliament.
Michael Fallon
A further update will be published this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2015 to Question 9021 and with reference to the Oxford Research Group, Remote Control project report: Hostile drones, published 11 January 2015, if the Office for Nuclear Regulation will review security at nuclear power stations.
Andrea Leadsom
Licensees of UK nuclear sites are required by ONR to demonstrate that they have resilience against a range of external threat scenarios. These scenarios are updated regularly considering developments in technology and other areas. 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 nautical miles and to a height of between 1000 and 2400 feet above mean sea level around the centre of those nuclear licensed sites listed in Schedule 2 of the Regulations. Airspace usage in the UK is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Bahraini counterparts on the amount of political prisoners held in Bahrain; and what representations he has made for such prisoners.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) most recently raised human rights with his Bahraini counterpart, Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, on 4 February. Where we have specific concerns around convictions or sentencing, we raise these with the Government of Bahrain as part of our wider dialogue on human rights and reform.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the UN Secretary General on the supply of arms and other military equipment sales to Saudi Arabia.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has had no discussions with the UN Secretary General on the supply of arms and other military equipment sales to Saudi Arabia.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Annex on a Comprehensive Franco-British Partnership on Civil Nuclear Energy, Franco-British Summit, on 3 March 2016, if she will publish the new key cooperation actions on Generation IV reactors which have been identified.
Andrea Leadsom
Further to an agreement at the 2014 UK – France Summit, the UK National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) have been progressing work to develop a joint roadmap for collaboration, to support the Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration (ASTRID) project. This work was noted in the text of the 2016 UK – France summit conclusions.
Development of this agreement and the progression of actions under the associated roadmap are a commercial matter between NNL and CEA, the details of which are subject to commercial confidentiality.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the ability of prospective claimants to complete the online application form for universal credit; and if he will estimate the number of eligible claimants who have failed to claim due to the complexity of that application form.
Priti Patel
The Universal Credit online application form is designed around user needs and over 90% of claims to Universal Credit have been made online. People without digital skills will be offered support to make and manage their Universal Credit (UC) claim online, and to acquire and to improve their digital skills. A telephone helpline is also available for claimants who cannot use the online service.
We have no evidence of any eligible claimants who have failed to claim due to the complexity of the Universal Credit application form.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make a comparative assessment of how many deaths were caused by new psychoactive substances in the UK, Ireland and Poland in each year since 2010.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the comparative particulate pollution created by (a) diesel and (b) electric cars.
Rory Stewart
The UK’s main air quality concerns relate to ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, in particular close to busy roads, with diesel vehicles being the major source. Electric vehicles have zero exhaust emissions and offer a clear benefit in tackling this ongoing air quality challenge.
On pollution from particulate matter, evidence is limited. Recent research suggests that battery electric vehicles have similar total emissions of particulate matter to petrol and diesel vehicles, due to their higher mass causing increased non-exhaust particulate matter. The UK Automotive Council has identified vehicle lightweighting as a strategic technology priority, and recent Government research and development funding of £38 million will support a number of projects in this area.