Tag: Grahame Morris

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many inspections have been carried out into the quality of the food served to UK Armed Forces in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne

All food procured for Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel must comply with MOD food quality standards. These standards comply with all UK and EU production standards, Farm Assurance or equivalent. The Defence Food Quality Standards (DFQS) establishes the minimum quality criteria that the Department requires a supplier to deliver. It sets the standard of what food and ingredients should be provided as part of the contracts to provide nutritious and balanced meals to Service Personnel. The DFQS publication is available online through the gov.uk website at:

(www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479299/20151006-DFQS-V12-U.pdf).

The MOD requires all of its food suppliers to comply with both EU and National legislation whilst operating to industry standards and monitors the suppliers’ compliance with the DFQS through a combination of product testing and conducting inspections of their premises/production facilities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had on introducing new duties on local authorities to assess the level of need for wheelchair accessible homes and set appropriate targets in local development plans.

Brandon Lewis

Local authorities are best placed to understand the housing needs in their area. We expect them to work closely with key partners and their local communities in deciding what type of housing is needed.

National policy sets out clearly the need for local authorities to plan for the housing needs of all members of the community and that planning should encourage accessibility. The introduction of optional requirements for accessibility in the Building Regulations provides local authorities with the tools needed to ensure that new homes are accessible and that in particular the needs of disabled people are met.

Local authorities are held accountable for their housing delivery via their Local Plans which are tested by local independent planning inspectors and are scrutinised via yearly Authority Monitoring reports which set out progress on delivery against Local Plan targets. In addition local authorities must determine individual decisions in line with the development plan and other material considerations, such as the National Planning Policy Framework and having regard to viability considerations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Supported Accommodation review on the commissioning of services for vulnerable people.

Brandon Lewis

We understand the importance of ensuring that those people living in supported accommodation, who are generally the most vulnerable members of our society, receive appropriate protections.

My Department, along with the Department for Work and Pensions, have jointly commissioned an evidence review of the supported housing sector. The review will report shortly, and we will continue to work with and listen to providers as part of developing a long-term sustainable funding regime.

In the meantime, we have put in place a one-year exception for all supported accommodation, from the rent reduction measures, and from the Local Housing Allowance cap.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many medically qualified panel members of HM Courts and Tribunals services in the North East of England are orthopaedic specialists.

Mr Shailesh Vara

HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold the requested information centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons and in what roles Air Accident Investigation Branch officials are attending the scene of the fatal crash of an EC225L Super Puma helicopter on the south west coast of Norway on 29 April 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) are assisting the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority with an Accredited Representative and two advisors to the EC225 accident on 29 April. This is due to the death of a UK national on board the helicopter and previous experience with EC225 accidents in the North Sea. The AAIB also successfully downloaded the combined cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (black box) last weekend and have provided that information to the investigation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will reform the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme to ensure that the surplus is used to benefit former mineworkers.

Jesse Norman

The Department cannot unilaterally amend the terms of the scheme, though we would be willing to consider proposals put forward by the Scheme Trustees. Scheme members have already benefitted from surpluses through increases in benefits.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what analysis his Department has conducted or commissioned on the number of doctors likely to retire in the next five years; and what assessment his Department has made of whether sufficient numbers of doctors are in training to maintain current service levels.

Ben Gummer

The Centre for Workforce Intelligence medical workforce modelling, estimates that around 13,500 consultants and general practitioners (GPs) in England will retire in the five years from 2015 to 2019 inclusive.

Taking account of expected retirements the consultant and GP workforce is projected to grow by around 9,400 posts by 2019, or 2.2% per annum, which is a considerably faster rate of growth than that projected baseline demand for healthcare services (reflecting population growth and the ageing of the population) over this period.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for material changes to safety cases covering oil and gas installations were submitted to the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson

HSE received material change safety case submissions from UK continental shelf oil and gas installation operators as follows: 2011 – 26; 2012 – 84; 2013 – 53; 2014 – 45; 2015 – 51.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is his policy that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will be required to meet current national service standards for the provision of obesity surgery after the planned transfer of obesity surgery commissioning responsibilities from NHS England to CCGs in April 2016.

George Freeman

CCGs will have the full commissioning responsibility for the obesity services within their remit to set standards for services for their population and to make clinical commissioning policy decisions in terms of patient eligibility with effect from April 2016.

NHS England is supporting the transfer of commissioning responsibilities to CCGs by providing clinical guidance on standards for the adult obesity surgery pathway. This guidance is in development, supported by national clinical experts.

The draft clinical commissioning policy includes reference to the relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance to support CCGs in determining patient eligibility to obesity surgery. The draft service specification will reflect best practice and describes the standard providers will need to meet for the surgical service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department has issued on the standard, quality and nutritional content of food served to UK armed forces.

Mr Philip Dunne

All food procured for Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel must comply with MOD food quality standards. These standards comply with all UK and EU production standards, Farm Assurance or equivalent. The Defence Food Quality Standards (DFQS) establishes the minimum quality criteria that the Department requires a supplier to deliver. It sets the standard of what food and ingredients should be provided as part of the contracts to provide nutritious and balanced meals to Service Personnel. The DFQS publication is available online through the gov.uk website at:

(www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479299/20151006-DFQS-V12-U.pdf).

The MOD requires all of its food suppliers to comply with both EU and National legislation whilst operating to industry standards and monitors the suppliers’ compliance with the DFQS through a combination of product testing and conducting inspections of their premises/production facilities.