Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects to provide an Answer to the Written Question 19992, tabled on 14 December 2015.
Answered by David Lidington
I responded to Written Question 19992 on 20 January 2016.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will make a formal application for funding from the EU Solidarity Fund to support communities affected by flooding.
Answered by David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office would not make applications for funding from the EU Solidarity Fund. Applications to the Fund would be made through the Department for Communities and Local Government.Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the value of wine in the Government wine cellar.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I refer the Honourable Member to the Written Ministerial Statement on the Annual Statement of the Government hospitality wine cellar 2014-15 (Written Ministerial Statement of 16 July 2015, HCWS142), a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to provide (a) commercial assistance, (b) nuclear fuel storage, disposal and reprocessing services and (c) research to the Iranian government to help it meet its IAEA treaty commitments.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK is committed to supporting the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed between the E3+3 and Iran on 14 July. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action includes provision for Iran to take part in international cooperation related to civilian nuclear energy which may include supply of power and research reactors; nuclear science and technology; fusion technology; accelerator based nuclear technology and astrophysics research; nuclear medicine and radioisotopes; waste management and facility decommissioning; nuclear desalination and nuclear safety and security. The UK has no specific plans at present for civil nuclear cooperation with Iran.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role the Government plans that the (a) NNL, (b) UK nuclear supply chain and (c) UK nuclear regulators will play in implementing the cessation of Iran's nuclear programme.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was agreed between the E3+3 and Iran on 14 July. The agreement places restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme and grants the International Atomic Energy Agency access to verify adherence to those restrictions. The UK, as a member of the Joint Commission, will receive reports on Iran’s implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and actions in relation to its nuclear programme.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and (b) constituent parts of the UK nuclear supply chain about nuclear sector opportunities in Iran as a result of the Iran nuclear deal.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed between the E3+3 and Iran on 14 July includes provision for Iran to take part in international cooperation related to civilian nuclear energy. Civil nuclear cooperation projects may include bilateral or multilateral arrangements with Iran and the details of projects will be determined in due course by the participating states. The UK has no specific plans at present for civil nuclear cooperation with Iran.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role he plans for the UK to have in securing uranium and uranium fuel in Iran.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed between the E3+3 and Iran on 14 July includes a limit on Iran’s stockpile of low enriched uranium, which will be monitored under IAEA safeguards. Iran’s excess low enriched uranium will be down blended to natural uranium or shipped out of Iran to Russia in exchange for natural uranium; the details will be for Iran and Russia to agree. This process will be monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Asked by: Jamie Reed (Labour - Copeland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of access by ISIS to chemical weapons in Iraq; and what assistance his Department plans to give directly and through the international community to assist the government of Iraq in (a) safeguarding its citizens, (b) retrieving those materials and (c) preventing the use of those materials in the region.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of reports of the use of industrial chemicals as weapons by ISIL in Iraq, and encourage the Government of Iraq to bring to the attention of the OPCW any such incidents. We welcome its report to the OPCW Executive Council in October regarding the use of chlorine by terrorist groups.
We are also aware that the Al Muthanna military site is now in the control of ISIL. We continue to monitor the situation. However, we do not believe that the site contains chemical weapons-related materials of military value. Bunkers at the Al Muthanna site did contain hazardous chemical weapons-related materials used in Iraq’s Chemical Weapons programme. The materials were made safe by the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) between 1992-1994.
While the Government of Iraq has kept the international community informed of incidents, and has reiterated its commitment to all international treaties and conventions aimed at preventing the use or spread of chemical weapons, it has made no requests for assistance to the international community.
We condemn unreservedly all and any use of chemical weapons by anyone. Use is a breach of international norms. Any party using any toxic chemical in this way should be brought to justice.