Tag: Paul Flynn

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with student body organisations on the effects of removing student maintenance grants.

Joseph Johnson

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and Ministers regularly meet stakeholders from across the Higher Education sector to inform policy development including on Higher Education student support.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the International Transport Workers Federation’s Maritime Labour Convention compliance inspections on international shipping in 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is not aware of the findings of the International Transport Workers Federation’s Maritime Labour Convention compliance inspections on international shipping in 2014. However, you may wish to note that the MCA works very closely with The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF). When ITF inspectors have concerns on board, they notify the MCA who subsequently carry out a review of the issues and carry out a Port State Control inspection, if deemed necessary. This would either result in deficiencies being raised or the ship being detained until satisfactory corrective actions are initiated in response to the deficiencies raised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the loan guarantee facility offered to Chinese nuclear companies in his announcement in Beijing on 21 September 2015 remains within the scope of the European Commission’s state aid decision of 8 October 2014 concerning the Hinkley Point C project; and when the Government informed the Commission of that new loan guarantee.

Greg Hands

The Chancellor’s announcement on 21 September 2015 set out that the government and the Hinkley Point C project company had agreed the terms of a £2 billion guarantee through the UK Guarantees Scheme. This guarantee is the first tranche of debt guarantees that was approved as part of the European Commission’s approval of the wider support package for Hinkley Point C. The government is satisfied that the guarantee remains within the terms set out by the EU Commission.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14, published on 23 June 2014, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on the evaluation of proposals for funded radioactive waste and decommissioning plans presented to him by private nuclear operators of the recent increase in the cost of dealing with legacy radioactive waste and decommissioning announced in that report.

Michael Fallon

Recent changes in the estimated costs of dealing with legacy radioactive waste and decommissioning announced in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2013/14 are due in their entirety to the decommissioning programme at Sellafield. These costs should not be used as a guide to costs of decommissioning modern nuclear reactor sites. The vast majority of the liability at Sellafield is a result of the Cold War military programme on that site, dating back to the 1940s, and the very early days of the civil nuclear industry, dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. These historic facilities were built extremely rapidly to very different quality and safety standards compared with nuclear plants constructed today and without plans for how they would be ultimately decommissioned, These facilities present a unique decommissioning challenge requiring a complex suite of engineering projects in order to first gain access to their waste inventory before retrieving and then treating this material ready for long-term disposal. The activity required to decommission these facilities at Sellafield bears no relation to the work required to decommission modern nuclear facilities. Operators of nuclear power stations being constructed under the Government’s new build programme are required to publish plans detailing how these facilities will be decommissioned and the operators themselves are liable for the costs associated with this decommissioning work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to sign off the Great Western direct award.

Claire Perry

We currently expect to conclude negotiations with First Great Western, and finalise the second Directly Awarded franchise contract during March 2015, for the provision of services from September 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the evidential basis was for the statement made by his Department’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in her foreword to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14, issued on 23 June 2014, that the continuation of Nuclear Management Partner’s contract to manage the Sellafield site offers the potential of stability and focus on the priorities during a vital five-year period in the history of Sellafield as it transitions from an operational plant into a fully-fledged decommissioning site.

Michael Fallon

The decision on contract extension was for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in line with its duties and responsibilities under the Energy Act 2004. The Department has oversight of all NDA activity and, given the particular importance of Sellafield, officials were closely involved throughout the contract review. From this we were assured that the NDA reached its decision based on a thorough and independent review of performance in the first period of the contract and consideration of all the options available to it. Ministers endorsed the NDA Board’s decision to extend the contract for a second term on the basis that rolling the contract forward represented the best way forward, giving the opportunity for NMP to build on progress made to date, address weaker areas of performance and make further real progress in this next five year term.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what total amount his Department has spent on consultant fees for the Great Western direct award to date.

Claire Perry

The total amount the Department has spent on consultancy fees for the Great Western Direct Award (DA) from November 2012 to date (January 2015) is approximately £1.6m. This amount is inclusive of VAT.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14, published on 23 June 2014, what estimate he has made of the additional cost to the public purse arising from the increased cost on an undiscounted basis of legacy radioactive waste and nuclear plant commissioning announced in that report.

Michael Fallon

As reported in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2013/14, the Nuclear Provision (the estimated cost to complete the decommissioning of all 17 sites in the authority’s estate) is now calculated as £65bn on a discounted basis (£110bn undiscounted). These costs will be borne in their entirety by the public purse.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what total amount his Department has spent on consultant fees relating to the Intercity Express Programme to date.

Claire Perry

From 2005 to October 2009, £21m was spent. Since then further spend has been incurred taking the total as at February 2015 to £46m.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-26.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the regulation of the practice of dark pool trading by high frequency bank traders.

Andrea Leadsom

Treasury Ministers regularly meet with Ministers in other departments as part of normal Government business. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

Dark pool trading is subject to regulation under the markets in financial instruments directive (2004/39/EC) (MiFID). The new MiFIR Regulation (600/2014/EU) recently agreed as part of the “MiFID 2” negotiations will impose significant limits on dark pool trading in the EU.