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Written Question
Radioactive Materials: Transport
Tuesday 30th January 2024

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 24 February 2016 to Question 27158 on Radioactive Materials: Transport, how many flights were undertaken between the United States and the UK by Royal Air Force aircraft carrying Defence Nuclear Materials between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023.

Answered by James Heappey

Between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023, a total of 13 flights carrying Defence Nuclear Materials were undertaken.


Written Question
Radioactive Materials: Transport
Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which types of RAF aircraft are authorised to carry special nuclear materials over UK territory; and which types of RAF aircraft are authorised by the US administration to carry such materials over US territory.

Answered by James Heappey

All flights between the UK and the United States are on fixed wing aircraft under the control of UK Armed Forces.


Written Question
Defence: Carbon Emissions
Tuesday 16th January 2024

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his (a) NATO (b) other international counterparts on reducing carbon emissions from military activities.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence engages with NATO and with key partners such as the USA, Canada, France and Australia at Official level through various fora and bilaterally to build shared understandings, increase climate literacy, and exchange methods and approaches on reducing carbon emissions and military adaptation.

At the Royal International Air Tattoo in July 2023, I signed the Defence Aviation Net Zero Strategy on behalf of the department, which outlines the steps necessary to meet the commitment to decarbonise Defence’s aviation capability, whilst also mitigating potential risks to operational effectiveness that are likely to arise as a result of climate change.


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: Carbon Emissions
Thursday 11th January 2024

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has a target for his Department producing net zero carbon emissions.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to contributing to the achievement of the UK legal commitment to reach net zero target by 2050 by reducing carbon emissions and accelerating sustainability activity, while preserving military capability.

Our ambition, as well as the range of initial actions the MOD is taking in support of the UK meeting the Net Zero target, is set out in our Strategic Approach to Climate Change and Sustainability published in March 2021.


Written Question
Defence: Carbon Emissions
Thursday 11th January 2024

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increased spending on military projects on the levels of carbon emissions associated with military activity.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Defence carbon emissions are primarily linked to operational tempo and not directly linked to levels of Defence spending. While emissions from different operating domains (e.g. estate, land, sea and air) can fluctuate from year-to-year, overall Defence emissions continue on a downward trajectory.

Between Financial Year 2019-20 and Financial Year 2022-23 overall Defence emissions reduced from 3.65MtCO2e to 3.13MtCO2e. A more detailed breakdown of Defence energy use and the associated carbon emission can be found in the MOD Annual Report and Accounts Annex D.


Written Question
Christmas Island: Nuclear Weapons
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on whether islanders were displaced in order for the UK to test nuclear weapons on Kiritimati.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

At the time it was selected for nuclear tests, Kiritimati was uninhabited, although indigenous people from the surrounding islands came to Kiritimati to work under the British authorities or on copra plantations. Historic records show these citizens were temporarily evacuated to ships or flown to nearby islands before UK nuclear weapons detonations.


Written Question
Christmas Island: Nuclear Weapons
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK's nuclear testing on the (a) medical, (b) public and (c) genetic health of the population in Kiribati.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

It has been the UK Government’s position since 2008 that any remediation work required due to UK nuclear tests in Kiribati has been completed. There are no plans for the UK Government to undertake a further assessment of the health of the population or environment of that nation.


Written Question
Christmas Island: Radioactive Waste
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has (a) sponsored operations to clear military waste on Kiritimati (i) in 2005 and (ii) at any other time and (b) made an assessment of the potential impact of that waste on the island's freshwater lens.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) arranged and took part in a specialist Reconnaissance Survey on Kiritimati during September 1998 to identify the types and quantities of waste materials, including an assessment of environmental risks, arising from the island's use as a base for the United Kingdom's nuclear test programme in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

A further visit was made to Kiritimati in August 2000 by MOD and independent specialists to gather further detailed information for the proposed clean-up project.

Removal of waste was undertaken between 2005 and 2008. The previous survey work had identified elevated levels of radioactivity associated with the presence of radium-226, commonly used to luminise vehicle instruments at the time of the test programme, but no other elevated levels of radioactivity substances were identified. Removal of the radium was achieved by removing the instruments and small quantities of soil from affected sites. Non-radioactive waste consisting of bitumen, rubber, metal and asbestos materials was also removed from the island.


Written Question
Christmas Island: Nuclear Weapons
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on assessments made of the potential impact of the UK's nuclear testing on the (a) livelihoods and (b) environment of the local population in Kiritimati.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

There was never any significant fallout from the UK’s nuclear detonations on the island. Multiple surveys have concluded there is no radiological risk to Kiribati’s population or to the environment on Kiritimati.


Written Question
Christmas Island: Nuclear Weapons
Tuesday 28th November 2023

Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has made periodic assessments of the potential impact of nuclear testing on the indigenous population in Kiribati.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

There was never any significant fallout from the UK’s nuclear detonations on the island. Multiple surveys have concluded there is no radiological risk to Kiribati’s population or to the environment on Kiritimati.