Tag: Steve McCabe

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make representations to the National Association of Estate Agents to encourage private-rented accommodation sector agencies to reduce the fixed costs that those agencies charge to tenants moving into private-rented accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

Gavin Barwell

Since 27 May 2015, through Section 83 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, letting agents have been required to publish a breakdown of their fees, which redress scheme they are a member of and whether they are a member of a client money protection scheme, in their offices and on their websites. A breakdown of fees enables tenants to compare prices and assess value for money, creating effective competition that should force agents to keep their fees fair and strengthening consumer choice.

The Government has established a Private Rented Affordability and Security working group to explore new approaches to remove entry costs and removal costs for tenants in the sector. The working group which includes representatives from across the PRS and Housing sector, including Crisis, Shelter, the National Landlords Association, the Association of Residential Letting Agents, is expected to provide its findings in the Autumn.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NHS England in achieving high quality community care for all.

David Mowat

Patients rightly expect the highest quality of care from all health and care services they access.

The Care Quality Commission registers and inspects community care providers and community trusts to ensure that they follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality below which care should never fall.

The trends in patient satisfaction for community services are tracked and reported monthly through the Friends and Family Test (FFT). The FFT is an important tool that gives patients the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience and helps the National Health Service to drive improvement in the services it provides.

The latest FFT Results from July 2016 showed that 95% of respondents would recommend the services they have used in community services settings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44396, what the overall cost to the public purse of administering the NHS Low Income Scheme in England has been in each of the last three years.

David Mowat

The direct costs of administering the NHS Low Income Scheme in England in the last three financial years are set out in the table. The figures do not include overheads associated with the wider infrastructure of the NHS Business Services Authority.

Year	Direct costs (England only) (£ million)
2015/16	£1,327
2014/15	£1,397
2013/14	£1,414

Source: provided by the NHS Business Services Authority

There is no apparent reason for the decrease in the numbers of HC3 certificates issued between 2008 and 2016. There has been no significant change to the scheme criteria nor the rules for calculation during this period. However, as the application numbers have decreased, there has been a corresponding decrease in the certificates issued.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what evidence her Department holds on the effect of the creation of police and crime commissioners on police accountability.

Brandon Lewis

Around 9 million total votes were cast by the public for their Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) at the most recent national elections in May – this is in stark contrast to the invisible, unelected and unaccountable Police Authorities they replaced.

Previously, only seven per cent of the public knew to go to their police authority if they had a problem with policing in their local area. According to the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales, 59% of the public are aware of PCCs.

The Home Affairs Select Committee report ‘Police and Crime Commissioners: here to stay’ recognised that the “introduction of PCCs has worked well to date and has had some beneficial effect on public accountability and clarity of leadership in policing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to what forms of hostel accommodation he plans to apply the housing benefit cap.

Caroline Nokes

The Secretary of State announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 15 September 2016 that we would be deferring the application of Local Housing Allowance Rates in the social sector for all those living in supported accommodation until 2019/20.

At this point we will bring in a new funding model which will ensure that the sector continues to be funded at current levels, taking into account the effect of Government policy on social sector rents.

The Secretary of State also announced that a formal consultation would be published shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s proposed deadline is for closing the 1993 and 2003 Child Support Agency IT system.

Caroline Nokes

The closure of existing child maintenance cases on the 1993 and 2003 schemes is proceeding as planned. The timetable for the closure of the underlying 1993 and 2003 child support IT systems is currently under consideration.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the 12 Portas Pilots.

Mr Marcus Jones

I chair a refocused Future High Street Forum to lead an ambitious programme of town centre restructuring. The Forum runs the Great British High Streets Awards which champion innovation, sharing best practice around the country.

Entries to this year’s competition have come from a number of the 27 former Portas pilots. One of these – Rotherham – won the accolade of best town centre. And I congratulate them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page nine of her Department’s response to the Education Committee’s Fifth Report of Session 2014-15, Life Lessons: PSHE and SRE in schools, published in July 2015, CM 9121, when her Department plans to report back to the Committee on its full consideration of the arguments made by the Committee on introducing PSHE and SRE as statutory subjects in primary and secondary schools.

Edward Timpson

The Government wants all young people to leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. High quality personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) teaching has an important role to play in providing young people with a ‘curriculum for life’, which equips them with the skills and understanding they need to manage their lives, to succeed and to stay safe.

We have committed to improving the quality of PSHE and intend to make significant progress on this issue during this Parliament. The Department for Education is currently working with headteachers and other experts to identify how we can improve the quality of PSHE for every pupil.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recourse is available to patients who believe they have undergone poor or harmful NHS psychotherapy treatment.

Alistair Burt

Complaints about poor or harmful National Health Service psychotherapy treatment are handled through the NHS complaints process. Details are available at the following link:

http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Rightsandpledges/complaints/Pages/NHScomplaints.aspx

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-11.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will exempt people from the extra three per cent stamp duty charge on second properties who have moved home because of flooding and are unable to sell their primary home within the 18 month eligibility period for a refund.

Mr David Gauke

The Government has consulted on the changes to ensure they are introduced in a fair way, and is now carefully analysing the consultation responses received. The final policy design will be confirmed at the Budget on 16 March 2016, before the new rules come into effect on 1 April this year.