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Tag: Paul Flynn

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    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.

    “

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    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.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the costs associated with supporting new nuclear power stations in England and Wales will be levied on energy consumers in Northern Ireland.

    Michael Fallon

    The supplier obligation will raise funds to cover all liabilities under all Contracts for Difference (CfDs), including nuclear ones. All licensed suppliers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be obliged to pay the supplier obligation in due course.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the Afghanistan National Army has deserted in each month since January 2010.

    Mr Mark Francois

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor, the right hon. Member for South Leicestershire (Andrew Robathan) on 13 November 2012 (Official Report, colunm 161W).

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Attorney General, what the total cost to his Department has been of challenging the decision of the Information Commissioner on the publication of letters from HRH the Prince of Wales.

    Dominic Grieve

    This case raises issues of constitutional significance, including upholding Parliament’s intentions for the Freedom of Information regime and the Government’s ability to protect information in the public interest. Litigation initiated by The Guardian newspaper has taken place over a four year period including hearings in the Upper Tribunal, the High Court, and the Court of Appeal. Eight government departments have had to work together on the Government’s response, at a total cost of £274,481.16 (exc VAT). These costs encompass all costs billed by the Treasury Solicitor, including Counsels’ fees and disbursements. If we are successful in the next stage of legal proceedings the Government would seek to recover a substantial proportion of these costs from the Guardian.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what background checks are regularly made on appointees to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations.

    Mr Francis Maude

    As was the case under the previous administration, The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. As set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies, public appointees are expected to uphold the standards of conduct set out in the Committee on Standards in Public Life’s Seven Principles of Public Life.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what benefits he expects to accrue to the UK economy from the agreement signed in China on 26 May 2014 between the Building Research Establishment and the Shenzhen Municipal Government to set up a training and research and development centre on sustainable building construction in China.

    Michael Fallon

    On 26 May 2014, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) signed an agreement with the Shenzhen Municipal Government to set up a training and R&D centre in China’s fastest growing city.

    The centre in Shenzhen will deliver training on a national scale to other cities and promote its services including certifying buildings to green construction standards.

    BRE aims to certify over 1,000 buildings across China to its standards which will generate £10 million income and could create up to £200 million of work for UK supply chain companies.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he has taken to restrict access to departmental meetings by lobbyists since 2011.

    Greg Clark

    Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK. That transparency will be further extended by the recently enacted Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act, Part 1 of which will require consultant lobbyists that meet with Ministers and senior officials to declare their clients on a publicly available register.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has assessed the comparative sustainability of sourced materials and manufacture of smart phones from (a) Apple, (b) Fairphone, (c) Huawei, (d) Lenovo, (e) LG Electornics, (f) Nokia and (g) Samsung in its role in promoting sustainable procurement policies across Government.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra has not undertaken a comparative assessment of mobile phones from these manufacturers, and does not provide procurement standards across Government or guidance specific to mobile phones.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much (a) military and (b) humanitarian aid the UK provided to the Libyan government in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013.

    Hugh Robertson

    Due to our accounting structures we are only able to provide exact spending figures for financial years rather than calendar years. In this time, the UK has provided military aid to Libya in the form of the defence portion of the tri-Departmental (MOD, FCO, DfID) Conflict Pool, and core defence funding for Defence Engagement activity. This has been:

    • 2010/11 – £3000
    • 2011/12 – £200,000
    • 2012/13 – £2,173,000
    • 2013/14 – £3,521,000

    This has formed part of a total of over £25m stabilisation assistance to the Libyan government through the Arab Partnership and Conflict Pool programme during the period 2011-2013.

    During the period 2011-13 the UK provided humanitarian aid to Libya for protection of civilians, assistance for survival and effective international humanitarian coordination, especially through the UN, broken down as follows:

    • 2011/12 – £7,843,227.40
    • 2012/13 – £304,100.37
    • 2013/14 – £0

    The UK no longer provides this type of humanitarian aid to Libya but instead is providing technical support for security, justice and rule of law capacity building, through the Arab partnership and Conflict Pool.