Tag: Paul Flynn

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Civil Contingencies Unit has made an assessment of the implications for its CBRNE defense policies of the findings of the PRACTICE EU project on the different public reactions to industrial or transport accidents and terrorist incidents, referred to in oral evidence to the Science and Technology Committee on 7 June 2016.

Mr John Hayes

The Home Office is answering this question as the lead department for CBRN(e) Response. The Home Office and its partners use a range of evidence to develop the UK’s response to CBRN(e) incidents. This information has informed the development of the Initial Operational Response which has been rolled out nationally across the emergency services. The booklet produced under the auspices of the PRACTICE EU project and referred to in the oral evidence is based on the same body of evidence as the UK response and consequently its content is consistent with our approach.”

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, for what reasons he decided to give evidence on the Wales Bill to the National Assembly for Wales’ Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee; and if he will give evidence to that committee.

Alun Cairns

The Committee Chair declined my offer to meet him to discuss the Wales Bill.

I am giving careful consideration to the report and the Committee’s recommendations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether burbots are extinct within the UK.

George Eustice

Burbot were last reported in the UK in the early 1970s and the species has not been recorded since in the British Isles.

Various factors are likely to have contributed to the demise of the species, including the impacts of climate and environmental change. However, a precise cause remains unclear.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with supermarkets on reducing the amount of food that is wasted because it is not considered aesthetically appealing to customers.

Rory Stewart

The Government, through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), is working with food manufacturers and retailers, including all the major UK supermarkets, to meet targets to reduce food waste from the grocery supply chain under the Courtauld Commitment. Signatories have reported a 7.4% reduction in supply chain waste between 2009-2012, with interim results for Courtauld 3 showing a further 3.2% reduction by 2014.

WRAP has worked with supermarkets and consumers to support acceptance and use of ‘imperfect’ fruit and vegetables. Work is also in progress with signatories, trade bodies and redistribution organisations to build a better understanding of the amounts and causes of waste in the supply of food & drink. WRAP is currently brokering a new agreement, Courtauld 2025, which will build on this progress.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2015 to Question 15120, on Western Sahara: human rights, whether he discussed reports of intimidation, harassment and kidnapping of human rights defenders in the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara during the visit of King Mohamed VI.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

I discussed Western Sahara during my visit to Morocco on 11-12 November. We will continue to raise with the Moroccan authorities allegations of human rights abuses in the territory which are brought to our attention.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-26.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the hypothecation of revenues raised from VAT on specific products for a specific purpose.

Mr David Gauke

The Government’s spending priorities are not, in general, determined by the way in which the money is raised. All revenue received, in combination with the amount borrowed or repaid by the Government, contributes to the amount that the Government can spend in total. However, we will continue to look at each case on its merits.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what participation the UK has had in the sustainable innovation forum hosted by the UN Environment Programme as part of the COP21 climate change conference in Paris.

Andrea Leadsom

The Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative on Climate Change attended the event and spoke on a panel event entitled “what is most needed to embed innovation across public and private sector operations.”

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