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14 Jun 2010 : Column 250W—continued
Trident
Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what mechanism he intends to assess the value for money of the renewal of Trident. [1147]
Dr Fox: The Government are committed to a value for money review of the Trident programme within the framework of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. This is aimed at ensuring that the United Kingdom's essential minimum deterrent is maintained as cost-effectively as possible. The Ministry of Defence is working with other Government Departments on this assessment.
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the matter of the renewal of Trident will be included in the Strategic Defence Review. [2062]
Dr Fox: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) on 7 June 2010, Official Report, column 11W.
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the reservation made by his Department to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [1826]
Mr Robathan: There are no plans to review the reservation made by the Ministry of Defence to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The continuing need for the armed forces' exemption was confirmed when Parliament considered the Equality Act 2010.
The armed forces were exempted from the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This exemption was secured because all armed forces' personnel need to be combat effective in order to meet a world-wide liability to deploy, and to ensure that military health and fitness remain matters for Defence Ministers based on military advice.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the use of drone planes in military operations. [2389]
Dr Fox: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) continue to have a vital role to play in military operations, and it is our policy to continue to use them in support of forces on the ground in Afghanistan. As with all capabilities, we keep our operational requirements for UASs under constant review to ensure that they continue to meet our mission objectives.
Wigan
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what public spending projects within (a) Wigan constituency and (b) the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan his Department had secured Treasury approval for between 1 January 2010 and the date of his appointment as Secretary of State. [1695]
Mr Robathan: The Government are re-assessing spending approvals granted between 1 January 2010 and the general election to ensure that they offer good value for money and are consistent with the Government's priorities. Further announcements will be made in due course.
World War II: Military Decorations
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review his Department's policy on the wearing of Atlantic Star medals in order to authorise Arctic Convoy veterans of World War II to attach the Arctic Convoy emblems recently presented to them to such medals for wearing in public. [2079]
Mr Robathan: I have no plans to do so.
The Atlantic Star is the medal that recognises service on the Arctic Convoys. The Arctic Emblem marks the nation's gratitude to those who served on the Convoys for the severe conditions that they faced, but it is a lapel badge and not a medal, a clasp to a medal, bar or rosette. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to wear the Emblem on the medal ribbon of the Atlantic Star.
However, the Arctic Emblem may be worn on the lapel, or above the breast pocket, either on occasions when it is appropriate to wear medals, or on its own with either formal or informal dress.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions: Business
Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of UK-listed companies which reported on their greenhouse gas emissions under his Department's guidance in the financial year 2009-10. [1134]
Mr Paice: I have been asked to reply.
We encourage companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using the DEFRA/Department of Energy and Climate Change "Guidance on How to Measure and Report Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions", published in October 2009. As this guidance was published mid-year we do not expect that the majority of companies will have adjusted their reporting to make use of the guidance for the financial year 2009-10. No estimate has been made so far of the number or proportion of UK-listed companies using this guidance during this period. However, we expect preliminary information to become available in autumn 2010.
Union Flag
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on flying the Union flag each day from each official building for which his Department is responsible. [1816]
Gregory Barker: DECC staff operate from two buildings (3 Whitehall Place, London and Atholl House, 86-88 Guild Street, Aberdeen). Neither of these buildings has a flag pole and therefore the Department does not have a policy on flying the Union flag.
Departmental Official Cars
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) make, (b) model and (c) place of manufacture is of the car allocated for the use of each Minister in his Department. [1479]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has four cars allocated to its Ministers. One is a Toyota Prius T Spirit and three are Toyota Prius T 3, all manufactured in Japan.
These arrangements are changing following the publication of the new Ministerial Code which contains changes that affect ministerial entitlement to travel by Government car. The Code states that:
"the number of Ministers with allocated cars and drivers will be kept to a minimum, taking into account security and other relevant considerations. Other Ministers will be entitled to use cars from the Government Car Service Pool as needed".
Cabinet Office has provided clarification on how the Code should be interpreted. The expectation is that Ministers not in the Cabinet will use the pool service and that Cabinet Ministers who have an allocated car will wish to consider how that car might be utilised by other Ministers within the Department before calls are made on the Government Car Service Pool.
The Department for Transport and its Government Car and Despatch Agency are working with Departments to effect the transition to the new arrangements.
Human Tissue Analysis in UK Nuclear Facilities Inquiry
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects the report of the Redfern Inquiry into human tissue analysis in UK nuclear facilities to be published. [1915]
Charles Hendry: There is currently no publication date for the report of the Redfern Inquiry into human tissue analysis in UK nuclear facilities. We expect to make an announcement before the summer recess.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has received recent representations from British Nuclear Fuels on the outcome of the Redfern Inquiry into human tissue analysis in UK nuclear facilities; and if he will make a statement. [1953]
Charles Hendry: I have received no representations from British Nuclear Fuels on the outcome of the Redfern Inquiry into human tissue analysis in UK nuclear facilities.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with Michael Redfern QC on the outcomes of his inquiry into human tissue analysis in UK nuclear facilities; and if he will make a statement. [1954]
Charles Hendry: I have had no discussions with Michael Redfern QC on the outcome of his inquiry into human tissue analysis in UK nuclear facilities.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with families of deceased workers at (a) Harwell and (b) Sellafield nuclear facilities whose tissue was retained for analysis. [2448]
Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers have had no discussions with families of deceased workers at (a) Harwell and (b) Sellafield nuclear facilities whose tissue was retained for analysis.
Mining: Languages
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the number of miners who do not speak English who are employed in coal mines in the UK. [1762]
Charles Hendry: No such information is held.
Radioactive Waste: Waste Management
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the cost of establishing an underground repository for radioactive waste; and if he will make a statement. [1951]
Charles Hendry: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for the decommissioning and clean-up of the UK's civil public sector nuclear sites and has been designated as the body responsible for implementing geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste.
The cost of disposal is influenced by many different factors, including the inventory of waste, the timing of waste arisings, the geology at the site in question and the design of a geological disposal facility.
NDA's total discounted lifetime cost estimate for the establishment of the geological disposal facility for higher activity wastes is £4.3 billion, of which NDA's share as shown in its Annual Report and Accounts is £3.7 billion with the remainder being funded by other waste producers. This investment will be incurred over a period of many decades and includes costs for research, design, construction, operation and final closure.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which local authorities have presented proposals to his Department for the siting of an underground repository for radioactive waste. [1952]
Charles Hendry: In 2008, communities were invited to "express an interest" in entering discussions with Government about a siting process for a geological disposal facility for higher activity radioactive waste.
To date, three "expressions of interest" have been received (Copeland borough council, Cumbria county council and Allerdale borough council) for the areas of Copeland and Allerdale. The authorities are working together in partnership to consider whether to move to the next stage of the process and further information is available on the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership website at:
The option to express an interest remains open and DECC officials are available to answer questions or advise any community who wishes to seek further information.
Sellafield
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what arrangements are made physically to segregate fissile nuclear material held under international safeguards from non-safeguarded fissile material at the Sellafield reprocessing plant. [2049]
Charles Hendry:
The Government announced in April 1995 that the UK had ceased production of fissile material for explosives purposes. As part of the 1998 strategic defence review, it was announced that future reprocessing would be conducted under safeguards. The only non-safeguarded nuclear material on the Sellafield nuclear licensed site is that relevant to the naval propulsion
programme, which is segregated and held in different locations to safeguarded material. There is also non-safeguarded nuclear material on the Windscale nuclear licensed site in Pile 1, which is undergoing decommissioning, and in another building which holds material from the naval propulsion programme. This nuclear material is also segregated from safeguarded material.
Water Power
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what new plans he has to increase electricity generation from marine sources. [2023]
Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to measures to support marine energy technologies. We are currently considering in detail how we progress this, including the role that marine energy parks may be able to play in helping the sector move forward towards commercial deployment.
The Government are currently considering the evidence base from the two-year Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study and expect to make a decision shortly. Other organisations are investigating the feasibility of tidal range power in a number of other bays and estuaries around the UK, including the Mersey and Solway.
Wigan
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what public spending projects within (a) Wigan constituency and (b) the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan his Department had secured Treasury approval between 1 January 2010 and the date of his appointment as Secretary of State. [1694]
Gregory Barker: The Government are re-assessing spending approvals granted between 1 January 2010 and the general election to ensure that they offer good value for money and are consistent with the Government's priorities. Further announcements will be made in due course.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Dangerous Dogs
Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many responses her Department received to its consultation on dangerous dogs; and when she plans to respond to the consultation. [1533]
Mr Paice [holding answer 10 June 2010]: We have received approximately 4,250 responses to the consultation on dangerous dogs, which closed on 1 June. We will respond to the consultation once we have had the opportunity to consider these.
Departmental Translation Services
Ian Austin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) documents and (b) other information for which (i) her Department and (ii) its associated public bodies are responsible are published or provided in the UK in languages other than English; for what reason each such publication is required to be made available in a language or languages other than
English; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the translation work so incurred in the latest period for which figures are available. [1769]
Richard Benyon: The Department has published or provided information in a number of languages between April 2009 and May 2010 via our central print contracts. The majority was undertaken as part of the personal food imports campaign aimed at informing the public as to which foods can be brought into the UK from outside the European Union. Other work was undertaken to comply with the Welsh Language Act 1993 and documents were translated into French for an EU event.
All material published from April 2009 to May 2010 is shown in the following list. The total cost of this work for translation and production was £28,978.37.
Detailed spend by the Department's associated bodies is not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
List of associated material produced between April 2009 and May 2010
DEFRA Website update-Foods campaign (Chinese X2)
DEFRA leaflets-Foods campaign (Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Farsi, Turkish, Chinese X2 and Arabic)
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