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To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the amount of interest paid to private tenants from custodial tenancy deposit protection schemes in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the amount of interest paid to private tenants from custodial tenancy deposit protection schemes in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
The interest payments to tenants under the scheme are as follows:
2010: £418,681; 2011: £199,579; 2012: £120,288; 2013: £82,084; 2014: £59,184.
The falling figures reflect record-low interest rates, and also the changes that were made to the contract after 2010. If I may explain:
The service concession agreement that was agreed by Labour Government with the custodial tenancy deposit protection scheme contained a guarantee that the Government would meet any shortfall arising if approved fees were not covered by the interest on deposits held. If interests were low, then the Government would pay the scheme money.
As a result of the low interest rates that emerged due to the financial crash in 2008 and 2009, such an agreement left taxpayers liable for a massive shortfall, which was estimated to reach over £30 million by the end of the contract in 2012.
In May 2010, the Coalition Government inherited this unacceptable situation and looming liabilities for taxpayers. As outlined my rt. hon. Friend, the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 19 July 2011, Official Report, Column 828W, following extensive negotiations in summer 2010, we removed the guarantee and all associated liabilities as part of a revised agreement.
The Government is currently inviting bidders for the new custodial tenancy protection scheme contract for 2016 onwards, and we are asking bidders how and when they could offer tenants’ interest as part of their bids.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that private tenants receive value for money held as deposits in custodial deposit schemes; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that private tenants receive value for money held as deposits in custodial deposit schemes; and if he will make a statement.
The interest payments to tenants under the scheme are as follows:
2010: £418,681; 2011: £199,579; 2012: £120,288; 2013: £82,084; 2014: £59,184.
The falling figures reflect record-low interest rates, and also the changes that were made to the contract after 2010. If I may explain:
The service concession agreement that was agreed by Labour Government with the custodial tenancy deposit protection scheme contained a guarantee that the Government would meet any shortfall arising if approved fees were not covered by the interest on deposits held. If interests were low, then the Government would pay the scheme money.
As a result of the low interest rates that emerged due to the financial crash in 2008 and 2009, such an agreement left taxpayers liable for a massive shortfall, which was estimated to reach over £30 million by the end of the contract in 2012.
In May 2010, the Coalition Government inherited this unacceptable situation and looming liabilities for taxpayers. As outlined my rt. hon. Friend, the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 19 July 2011, Official Report, Column 828W, following extensive negotiations in summer 2010, we removed the guarantee and all associated liabilities as part of a revised agreement.
The Government is currently inviting bidders for the new custodial tenancy protection scheme contract for 2016 onwards, and we are asking bidders how and when they could offer tenants’ interest as part of their bids.
That this House agrees with the United Nations Secretary-General that there is a dire humanitarian situation in Gaza; fears the outbreak of further hostilities unless the situation improves dramatically; notes the considerable amount of British and other international aid required to keep Gaza from deteriorating further and to assist in the reconstruction of infrastructure and homes; regrets that the Israeli authorities continue to refuse access to British elected representatives to visit Gaza via Erez checkpoint; further notes that, given the dangerous security situation in the Sinai, the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing is the only viable entry point; and asks the Government to do everything in its power to persuade the Israeli authorities to permit parliamentary access into Gaza to assess the situation, the needs of the population and how British funds are being spent.
That this House agrees with the United Nations Secretary-General that there is a dire humanitarian situation in Gaza; fears the outbreak of further hostilities unless the situation improves dramatically; notes the considerable amount of British and other international aid required to keep Gaza from deteriorating further and to assist in...
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions UK military personnel have provided training in Colombia in each year since 2010; and how many such personnel provided that training in each such year.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions UK military personnel have provided training in Colombia in each year since 2010; and how many such personnel provided that training in each such year.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 November 2014 to Question 210573 to the hon. Member for Bradford South (Mr Gerry Sutcliffe).
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions Colombian armed forces personnel have trained in the UK in each year since 2010; and how many such personnel were trained in each such year.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions Colombian armed forces personnel have trained in the UK in each year since 2010; and how many such personnel were trained in each such year.
Visits to the UK by members of the Colombian Armed Forces are focused around defence education. The number of occasions Colombian Armed Forces personnel has trained in the UK in each academic year since 2009-10 and how many such personnel were trained in each such year up to and including the end of the last academic year is:
2009-10: one individual on one occasion.
2010-11: five individuals on five separate occasions.
2011-12: one individual on one occasion.
2012-13: three individuals on three separate occasions.
2013-14: three individuals on three separate occasions
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have received funeral payments in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Enfield in each of the last 10 years; how much those payments amount to; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have received funeral payments in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Enfield in each of the last 10 years; how much those payments amount to; and if he will make a statement.
Tables 1 and 2 show the number of Funeral Payment awards and expenditure amount in England, London and North and North East London Budget Area between 2004/05 and 2013/14.
DWP does not hold information about the number of people receiving Funeral Payment awards in a given time period. The number of awards made in each year is not equal to the number of people who received awards as an individual may have made multiple applications in that period.
The lowest geographical level at which we hold Funeral Payment data is by Social Fund Budget Area; the geographical areas used to administer the Social Fund in Great Britain. Since 2008/09, the Budget Area covering Enfield is North and North East London, which also covers Waltham Forest and Barking and Dagenham as well as parts of Barnet, Hackney, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Islington and Redbridge. Earlier figures for this area are not available.
Table 1: Funeral Payment awards in England, London and North and North East London, 2004/05 to 2013/14
Year | England | London | North and North |
2004/05 | 34,700 | 4,800 | - |
2005/06 | 33,400 | 4,500 | - |
2006/07 | 32,700 | 4,300 | - |
2007/08 | 31,300 | 4,100 | - |
2008/09 | 32,500 | 4,200 | 800 |
2009/10 | 31,200 | 4,400 | 800 |
2010/11 | 30,500 | 3,800 | 800 |
2011/12 | 30,200 | 3,900 | 800 |
2012/13 | 28,000 | 3,600 | 900 |
2013/14 | 26,600 | 3,500 | 800 |
Source: DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information System
Table 2: Funeral Payment expenditure in England, London and North and North East London, 2004/05 to 2013/14
Year | England | London | North and North |
2004/05 | £36,925,100 | £5,961,200 | - |
2005/06 | £36,643,600 | £5,819,400 | - |
2006/07 | £37,148,000 | £5,814,900 | - |
2007/08 | £36,987,600 | £5,959,300 | - |
2008/09 | £39,495,800 | £6,511,000 | £1,260,500 |
2009/10 | £38,410,300 | £6,769,600 | £1,274,400 |
2010/11 | £37,445,800 | £5,879,700 | £1,294,800 |
2011/12 | £37,723,000 | £6,226,400 | £1,347,300 |
2012/13 | £34,617,200 | £5,590,100 | £1,390,800 |
2013/14 | £36,185,500 | £5,979,600 | £1,429,500 |
Source: DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information System
Notes
· These figures do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.
· All figures are rounded to the nearest £100.
How many courts, closed since May 2010, remain on the estate undisposed of? What is the cost to the taxpayer of this policy?
How many courts, closed since May 2010, remain on the estate undisposed of? What is the cost to the taxpayer of this policy?
I do not have the exact figures in front of me. I will write to the hon. Gentleman.
I did not think that you would call two Opposition Members in a row, Mr Speaker.
The level of home ownership has fallen to its lowest level for 30 years. Will the Government now admit that their failure to build homes is pricing home ownership out of the reach of ordinary families?
I did not think that you would call two Opposition Members in a row, Mr Speaker.
The level of home ownership has fallen to its lowest level for 30 years. Will the Government now admit that their failure to build homes is pricing home ownership out of the reach of ordinary families?
I gently point out to the hon. Gentleman that in 2010 we inherited the lowest level of building since 1923. We have been rebuilding that market, which is now back at the 2007 level. We have started building affordable homes at the fastest rate in 20 years. The latest figures we have show that, in 2013, we had the highest level of first-time buyers in the market—almost 230,000—for many years.
Figures published by the Bank of England last week show that net lending to business is still negative. After four and a half years of this Government, when can we expect the figures to go positive, and will we see out the last 100 days of this failed Government, who need a fresh Government to do the job for them?
Figures published by the Bank of England last week show that net lending to business is still negative. After four and a half years of this Government, when can we expect the figures to go positive, and will we see out the last 100 days of this failed Government, who need a fresh Government to do the job for them?
To put it bluntly, this Government have turned around not only the economy, but the business environment. This Government have backed British businesses and business lending every step of the way, which is a stark contrast to a Labour Government, under whom that would only go backwards.
One hears the pious words of the Chief Secretary regarding house building, but has he not presided over the lowest level of house building since the 1920s?
One hears the pious words of the Chief Secretary regarding house building, but has he not presided over the lowest level of house building since the 1920s?
In case the hon. Gentleman does not remember, he was present in the last Parliament when his party was in government and caused the most severe economic crash that this country had experienced for very many decades. The housing market, of course, gets affected by the economic cycle, which is precisely why this Government have presided over the highest level of affordable house building in this country for 20 years. Under the hon. Gentleman’s party, the number of affordable houses in this country fell by 421,000; under this Government, it has risen by hundreds of thousands.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will publish a comparison of cancer patient experience between hospital trusts; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will publish a comparison of cancer patient experience between hospital trusts; and if he will make a statement.
The 2014 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES), which is managed by NHS England, asked over 110,000 cancer patients across the country for their views on their care with 64% responding. Macmillan Cancer Support has published league tables constructed from the data. The tables can be found at:
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets with NHS England regularly and discusses a wide range of issues.
NHS England is working with NHS Improving Quality, Macmillan Cancer Support and Strategic Clinical Networks to spread good practice across hospitals providing cancer care, including how best to utilise CPES findings. Action includes:
- the launch of an NHS Improving Quality project that pairs highly-rated cancer trusts with trusts that have potential to improve;
- regional events for commissioners looking at how CPES results inform commissioning decisions around cancer patient experience;
- publication of guidance on using CPES data to drive improvement which will be sent to all Trusts who participate in the CPES.
NHS England committed in their Five Year Forward View to improving the information given to people who use services, their families and carers. This builds on NHS England’s Commitments to Carers, published in May 2014, with 37 commitments including NHS England supporting the relevant bodies in signposting carers to information and advice about available support.
NHS England also has a strand of work focusing on improving the quality, integrity and accessibility of health related information, including information targeting carers. In addition, NHS Choices holds a wide range of information relating to the support available for carers.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) NHS England and (b) clinical commissioning groups on hospital trusts using action plans to improve their National Cancer Patient Experience Survey results; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) NHS England and (b) clinical commissioning groups on hospital trusts using action plans to improve their National Cancer Patient Experience Survey results; and if he will make a statement.
The 2014 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES), which is managed by NHS England, asked over 110,000 cancer patients across the country for their views on their care with 64% responding. Macmillan Cancer Support has published league tables constructed from the data. The tables can be found at:
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets with NHS England regularly and discusses a wide range of issues.
NHS England is working with NHS Improving Quality, Macmillan Cancer Support and Strategic Clinical Networks to spread good practice across hospitals providing cancer care, including how best to utilise CPES findings. Action includes:
- the launch of an NHS Improving Quality project that pairs highly-rated cancer trusts with trusts that have potential to improve;
- regional events for commissioners looking at how CPES results inform commissioning decisions around cancer patient experience;
- publication of guidance on using CPES data to drive improvement which will be sent to all Trusts who participate in the CPES.
NHS England committed in their Five Year Forward View to improving the information given to people who use services, their families and carers. This builds on NHS England’s Commitments to Carers, published in May 2014, with 37 commitments including NHS England supporting the relevant bodies in signposting carers to information and advice about available support.
NHS England also has a strand of work focusing on improving the quality, integrity and accessibility of health related information, including information targeting carers. In addition, NHS Choices holds a wide range of information relating to the support available for carers.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England is taking to ensure the families of cancer patients are given the information needed to help care for them at home.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England is taking to ensure the families of cancer patients are given the information needed to help care for them at home.
The 2014 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES), which is managed by NHS England, asked over 110,000 cancer patients across the country for their views on their care with 64% responding. Macmillan Cancer Support has published league tables constructed from the data. The tables can be found at:
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets with NHS England regularly and discusses a wide range of issues.
NHS England is working with NHS Improving Quality, Macmillan Cancer Support and Strategic Clinical Networks to spread good practice across hospitals providing cancer care, including how best to utilise CPES findings. Action includes:
- the launch of an NHS Improving Quality project that pairs highly-rated cancer trusts with trusts that have potential to improve;
- regional events for commissioners looking at how CPES results inform commissioning decisions around cancer patient experience;
- publication of guidance on using CPES data to drive improvement which will be sent to all Trusts who participate in the CPES.
NHS England committed in their Five Year Forward View to improving the information given to people who use services, their families and carers. This builds on NHS England’s Commitments to Carers, published in May 2014, with 37 commitments including NHS England supporting the relevant bodies in signposting carers to information and advice about available support.
NHS England also has a strand of work focusing on improving the quality, integrity and accessibility of health related information, including information targeting carers. In addition, NHS Choices holds a wide range of information relating to the support available for carers.
The long-term economic plan is not working in terms of the living standards of people up and down the country. What has been the rate of growth of wages over the past year?
The long-term economic plan is not working in terms of the living standards of people up and down the country. What has been the rate of growth of wages over the past year?
The rate of growth of real wages has been low, and that needs continued attention in the months and years to come. However, I hope that the hon. Gentleman would join me in welcoming the fact that millions of our fellow citizens are now in work as opposed to being unemployed, as they were under the Labour Government. We now need to work to make sure that we increase business investment, enhance productivity, and make sure that the benefits of the economic growth we are seeing are shared as widely as possible. I think that he and I would agree about that.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the annual cost of providing the rent-a-room tax scheme if the threshold were raised (a) in line with rental inflation since 1997-98 and (b) to £7,500 per year; and if he will make a statement.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the annual cost of providing the rent-a-room tax scheme if the threshold were raised (a) in line with rental inflation since 1997-98 and (b) to £7,500 per year; and if he will make a statement.
The Government has made no such assessment but keeps all tax policies under review.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual cost was of providing the rent-a-room tax scheme for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual cost was of providing the rent-a-room tax scheme for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have published information on estimates of the cost of the relief. For the year 2009-10, HMRC estimated the relief cost £120 million. For the years 2010-11 through to 2013-14 HMRC estimate the cost of the relief to be £90 million per annum.
These figures are particularly tentative and subject to a wide margin of error.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP practices (a) closed and (b) opened in (i) England, (ii) Greater London and (iii) Enfield in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP practices (a) closed and (b) opened in (i) England, (ii) Greater London and (iii) Enfield in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
The Health and Social Care Information Centre collect information on the number of practices opened and closed, which is contained in the attached table.
It is important to note that these figures also include practice mergers and takeovers and do not provide an accurate representation of activity or service provision. In many cases, practices listed in these figures as having closed, will have in fact merged and will continue to see patients. In addition, in this time period the definition of general practice has changed to become a more stringent classification.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average GP list size was in (a) England, (b) Greater London and (c) Enfield in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average GP list size was in (a) England, (b) Greater London and (c) Enfield in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
The requested information is contained in the following table:
Average GP practice list size by selected areas in England, 2009-2013
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
England
| 6,637 | 6,610 | 6,651 | 6,891 | 7,034 |
London Area
| 5,706 | 5,774 | 5,789 | 6,113 | 6,213 |
Enfield Clinical | 4,775 | 4,667 | 4,904 | 5,617 | 5,798 |
Notes: 1 Workforce data is available by National Health Service organisation only, not geographical regions such as Greater London. Greater London is captured by London Area Team and Enfield by Enfield Clinical Commissioning Group. Prior to 2013, the area of London was serviced by London Strategic Health Authority and Enfield was serviced by Enfield Primary Care Trust. There is no break in the data as the old and new London organisations are coterminous and therefore the data is still comparable over the years provided.
As per the latest GP contract, patients register with a GP practice and are attributed to the practice, not a specific GP.
Data quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data, but responsibility for data accuracy resides with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed, but unless it is significant at national level, figures are not updated. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.
Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Statistics. Patient registration information taken from National Health Application and Infrastructure Services Exeter GP payments system.
Help to Buy is strengthening demand for housing, but if that is not met by an increase in supply, it will simply end in higher prices. What is the Secretary of State doing to increase supply, which we know is at one of the lowest levels in recorded history?
Help to Buy is strengthening demand for housing, but if that is not met by an increase in supply, it will simply end in higher prices. What is the Secretary of State doing to increase supply, which we know is at one of the lowest levels in recorded history?
I think we have made quite a lot of progress. As the hon. Gentleman admits, we inherited the lowest level of house building at any time since the 1920s. The current figures for the amount of house building taking place are more than encouraging—it is quite a success, and I think he will be pleased when the latest figures are released.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of use by Israeli forces of equipment containing UK components in breaches of international humanitarian law in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and if he will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of use by Israeli forces of equipment containing UK components in breaches of international humanitarian law in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and if he will make a statement.
We reviewed all existing export licences to Israel during Operation Protective Edge. We found that the vast majority of exports currently licensed for Israel were not for items that could be used by Israeli forces in operations in Gaza in response to attacks by Hamas.
On 12 August, the Government announced that twelve licences were identified for components which could be part of equipment used by the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza. As we were unable to clarify whether export licence criteria was being met, we took the decision to suspend this small number of export licences if there was a resumption of significant hostilities.
We monitored the situation closely and assessed that the resumption of hostilities when Hamas later broke the ceasefire was not enough to warrant a suspension.