The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff from the US Departments of (a) Energy and (b) Defense are currently on secondment to the AWE facilities at (i) Aldermaston and (ii) Burghfield.
Mr Philip Dunne
There are two US staff from the Department of Defense on secondment to the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston. No US staff are on secondment to AWE Burghfield.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the recommendations in the report commissioned by the EU Committee of the Regions on Policy instruments for adaptation to climate change in big European cities and metropolitan areas.
Dan Rogerson
I have been asked to reply.
We have noted the report’s recommendations and recognise the complex challenges cities face from climate change.
Defra published the first National Adaptation Programme (NAP) report last July. This sets out a wide range of actions to developthe UK’s resilience to climate change and associated severe weather events. In developing this report, the Government worked with the Core Cities Group (comprising the largest eight cities in England), London Councils and the Greater London Authority to agree the NAP Cities Commitment. We continue to work closely with these cities to support this commitment to action, including through a recent inward secondment to Defra from Newcastle City Council.
The Mayors Adapt initiative recently launched by the European Commission under the EU Adaptation Strategy also provides a vehicle through which cities across Europe can network and share their experiences on adaptation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the Moroccan Ambassador to the UK the situation of the political prisoners in Saharawi; and what information he has received from HM Ambassador in Morocco on the state of health of Abdalah Boukiod.
Hugh Robertson
We regularly emphasise to Morocco the importance of full respect for human rights in Western Sahara. Minister Robertson discussed this issue during his trip to Rabat in March this year. We are aware of reports that Abdalah Boukiod has been on hunger strike since 20 May. We do not have further information on the state of his health.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff from (a) his Department and (b) the Atomic Weapons Establishment are on secondment to an institution in the United States involved in nuclear weapons development or nuclear warhead stockpile, stewardship, stability and safety research.
Mr Philip Dunne
There are no Ministry of Defence staff and fifteen Atomic Weapons Establishment staff employed by AWE plc on secondment to these institutions in the United States.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information has been provided to his Department by (a) EDF Energy and (b) the Office for Nuclear Regulation on the application by EDF Energy to extend the operating life of the Dungeness B reactor.
Michael Fallon
In December 2013, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) received a notification from EDF Energy of the intention to extend the planned operating life of Dungeness B AGR power station (as required under the Nuclear Liabilities Funding Agreement). Information relating to this process was shared with the Department. The decision on whether in practice to extend the life of the plant will be a commercial matter for EDF Energy. This is subject to the relevant safety and security regulations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions he had on nuclear power with (a) his Chinese counterpart and (b) other members of the delegation of the Chinese prime minister during their visit to the UK in June; what matters were agreed; and if he will publish texts of any such agreements reached.
Michael Fallon
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with Premier Li and various Chinese companies to discuss areas of on-going cooperation within the nuclear power sector. During these discussions the UK and Chinese Governments signalled a deepening of their partnership on civil nuclear energy through the signing of a joint statement on civil nuclear power.
Alongside this, HMG have signed a Four Party Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Civil Nuclear Fuel Cycle Supply Chain with the INS, CNNC and CAEA to further cooperation across the civil nuclear backend fuel cycle, creating potential commercial opportunities for UK companies.
Both countries see the importance of working together on the UK’s nuclear new build programme, China’s own domestic civil nuclear programme and in third country markets, to maximise the billion pound opportunities this presents for both UK and Chinese companies.
Both the joint statement and Four Party MoU are published on our website at
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for renewing the 1958 Agreement between the UK and US for Co-operation in the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes; whether he will lay the draft renewed agreement before Parliament; and what role the British Embassy in Washington DC will play in the renewal.
Mr Philip Dunne
We are continuing to work with the US and satisfactory progress is being made. Parliament will be informed of the amending text at the appropriate time. The British Embassy in Washington DC will facilitate discussions between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the US Department of State.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what analysis has been carried out by the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston into the effects on (a) human beings, (b) other animals and (c) the wider environment of the use of a nuclear warhead in the UK nuclear arsenal.
Mr Philip Dunne
The effects of the use of a UK nuclear warhead are underpinned by modelling and analysis. The effects are dependent on a wide range of variable factors including: the yield and design of the weapon; the accuracy of the delivery system; the nature and construction of the target; the geographical characteristics of the surrounding terrain; geological conditions in the target area; the height of weapon burst; and the weather conditions at the target.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment has been made by (a) the RIMNET network and (b) other bodies of the possibility that the sand fallout across the British Isles from the Sahara desert has been contaminated by long-lived radioactive fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted by France in the Algerian Sahara in the 1960s.
Michael Fallon
The Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET) is the UK Government’s radiation monitoring and nuclear emergency response system which is operated on a 24 hour a day, seven days a week basis by the Met Office, on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Data from RIMNET has been inspected and shows no evidence of increased levels of radioactivity across the UK.
The Environment Agency (EA) undertakes a programme of far-field monitoring, away from nuclear sites, of radioactivity in air and rainwater. This programme involves constantly sampling air through filters in High Volume Air Samplers. Filters are changed on a weekly basis and subsequently analysed. Past Saharan dust events have not caused any detectable increase in radioactivity on the filters. Results for the changed filters on 31st March and 7th April should be available in the next few days. The results will be published as consolidated data in the annual Radiation in Food and the Environment (RIFE) report which is published jointly by a number of UK and devolved agencies. Previous RIFE reports are available here:
http://www.sepa.org.uk/radioactive_substances/publications/rife_reports.aspx.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of when the Afghanistan Air Force will be ready to function independently of US and UK support.
Mr Mark Francois
The Afghan Air Force (AAF) is trained in accordance with the wider International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) development strategy. ISAF envisages that the AAF will be at full operational capability with the required trained personnel, aircraft and equipment by the end of 2017.