Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there is a statutory requirement for a (a) military and (b) legal review of the Trident Replacement Decision.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
There is no statutory requirement for a military or legal review of the decision to maintain the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what (a) reasons and (b) circumstances armed military personnel can be deployed on UK soil.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Armed military personnel may only be deployed on UK soil in exceptional circumstances for example, in response to a military invasion or in support of a Civil Authority or Government Department in accordance with Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA).
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the UK Parliament has any role on the deployment of armed military personnel on UK soil.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Armed military personnel may only be deployed on UK soil in exceptional circumstances, under the Royal Prerogative or in response to regulations made by Order in Council under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent inspections have been carried out on the fuel removed from HMS Vanguard during its deep maintenance and refuelling.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We have not yet carried out inspections of fuel removed from HMS Vanguard.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether fuel issues have been identified with the PWR2 type reactors in (a) HMS Victorious and (b) HMS Vanguard.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
I can confirm the safety of all our nuclear submarines is not in doubt.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of (a) civilian casualties, (b) damage to property, community facilities and infrastructure by RAF strikes in Mosul in 2016-17.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The RAF does everything it can to minimise the risk to human life and to civilian infrastructure from UK strikes, through our rigorous targeting processes and the professionalism of the RAF crews. All RAF weapons are deployed in strict accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict and rigorous Rules of Engagement.
Thus all strikes we carried out in Mosul were designed to cause the minimum amount of damage, proportionate to the task of clearing the city of the terrorist threat posed by Daesh.
Given the ruthless and inhumane behaviour of Daesh, we must accept that the risk of inadvertent civilian casualties is ever present. We have not seen any evidence that we caused civilian casualties during the campaign in Mosul.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to ensure there are adequate arrangements for the safe handling of radioactive waste at HMNB Clyde.
Answered by Guto Bebb
The Ministry of Defence takes its responsibilities for the safety and security of radioactive materials very seriously. The safety of the public, the defence workforce and the protection of the environment remain the Department's priority. We fully comply with applicable environmental legislation and have a robust reporting process with Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde operating under clear agreements with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to ensure there are adequate arrangements for the safe handling of radioactive waste at HMNB Clyde.
Answered by Guto Bebb
The Ministry of Defence takes its responsibilities for the safety and security of radioactive materials very seriously. The safety of the public, the defence workforce and the protection of the environment remain the Department's priority. We fully comply with applicable environmental legislation and have a robust reporting process with Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde operating under clear agreements with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) what role the National Security Council will have in the decision on whether to replace the Trident nuclear warhead, (b) whether that decision will be discussed by the full Cabinet and (c) whether Parliament will have a final vote on that decision.
Answered by Gavin Williamson
As stated in the update to Parliament on 20 December 2017 the Dreadnought Programme (HCWS377), work is ongoing on warhead replacement options; I will continue to provide updates as appropriate.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Re-entry Systems Options project has concluded its work.
Answered by Guto Bebb
As of the end of the last financial year (March 2017), the Ministry of Defence had spent £100.7 million on studies to inform the decision on whether to refurbish or replace the existing warhead.
This figure consists of £93.7 million on technology studies to support refurbishment of the current system and explore options for a potential future warhead and £7 million on studies to support the decision whether to refurbish or replace the existing warhead.
Studies related to Re-entry Systems Options to determine the best approach to be taken are continuing.