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If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
I welcome the new Minister, the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, the hon. Member for Louth and Horncastle (Victoria Atkins), to her role, which covers knife crime and serious youth violence. I warmly invite her to come to the all-party group on knife crime, which I chair.
Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, told the Home Affairs Committee that she has to find £400 million of savings over the next two years, despite the Mayor of London using the maximum precept that he is allowed. This means 10% fewer police officers in London, less prevention, less early intervention and less serious crime investigation at a time when violent crime and knife crime are rising. Will the Minister pass this on to the Treasury and ask for more police funds in the Budget?
I welcome the new Minister, the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, the hon. Member for Louth and Horncastle (Victoria Atkins), to her role, which covers knife crime and serious youth violence. I warmly invite her to come to the all-party group on knife crime, which I chair.
Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, told the Home Affairs Committee that she has to find £400 million of savings over the next two years, despite the Mayor of London using the maximum precept that he is allowed. This means 10% fewer police officers in London, less prevention, less early intervention and less serious crime investigation at a time when violent crime and knife crime are rising. Will the Minister pass this on to the Treasury and ask for more police funds in the Budget?
As a London MP, I assure the hon. Lady that I am very interested in the Met police having the resources they need. To my eyes, they do in the sense that the level of resources and number of police officers per head are—for good reason—far and away above those anywhere else in the country. I do not recognise her figure of £400 million, because no decisions have been made yet about the funding settlement for 2018-19. As I have already said, that announcement will be made shortly.
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
Two years ago, the Government promised legal action on the exorbitant costs of school uniforms. When will the Secretary of State keep that promise?
Two years ago, the Government promised legal action on the exorbitant costs of school uniforms. When will the Secretary of State keep that promise?
We have given clear guidance to schools that uniforms need to be affordable, but the hon. Lady is absolutely right that this is an important issue. It is certainly a cost that many parents worry about, and I assure her that making further progress to address it is on our agenda.
What recent estimate he has made of the number of children in temporary accommodation.
What recent estimate he has made of the number of children in temporary accommodation.
Temporary accommodation ensures that no child is left without a roof over their head. Homelessness prevention is at the centre of our approach to protecting the most vulnerable. We are spending over £950 million until 2020 to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping, as well as implementing the most ambitious set of legislative reforms in decades with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
The number of families in temporary accommodation in Croydon has doubled in seven years. Right now, two thirds of families in Croydon in local authority housing are in debt and at risk of eviction directly because of universal credit. How will the Minister stop more families in Croydon on universal credit becoming homeless and spending the winter months in temporary accommodation?
The number of families in temporary accommodation in Croydon has doubled in seven years. Right now, two thirds of families in Croydon in local authority housing are in debt and at risk of eviction directly because of universal credit. How will the Minister stop more families in Croydon on universal credit becoming homeless and spending the winter months in temporary accommodation?
The latest available figures show that the number of people in temporary accommodation in Croydon is actually falling. This Government have given £1 million to Croydon for the homelessness prevention trailblazer that it put in for. We have also given £870 million in discretionary housing payments to help people who have short-term difficulty in sustaining their accommodation.
What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on changes to VAT rates after the UK leaves the EU.
What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on changes to VAT rates after the UK leaves the EU.
The Secretary of State and the Chancellor are working together to deliver the UK’s departure from the European Union. Our future relationship with the EU, including on VAT, will be subject to negotiations. Any decisions on VAT rates will be taken by the Chancellor as part of the normal Budget process.
Our children go back to school this week, and parents are still paying a fortune for branded school uniforms. Cutting VAT on uniforms for older children would save some £200 million, but this cannot be done under current EU law. My constituents have asked me to ask Ministers to raise this matter whenever the negotiations turn to VAT.
Our children go back to school this week, and parents are still paying a fortune for branded school uniforms. Cutting VAT on uniforms for older children would save some £200 million, but this cannot be done under current EU law. My constituents have asked me to ask Ministers to raise this matter whenever the negotiations turn to VAT.
The hon. Lady raises an interesting point, which I know has been heard by those on the Treasury Bench and will be heard by the Chancellor. However, I would gently point out to her that VAT raised £120 billion in 2016 and provides essential funding for public services, including education.
House adjourned without Question put.
House adjourned without Question put.
If she will list her official engagements for Wednesday 19 July.
If she will list her official engagements for Wednesday 19 July.
Q15
.
Sarah Jones (Croydon Central) (Lab):
Does the Prime Minister agree that the huge increase in knife crime has tragic consequences for families in constituencies such as mine? What will she do to work with me and other Members on both sides of the House to find solutions to this blight on young lives, including looking again at the budget for policing?
Q15
.
Sarah Jones (Croydon Central) (Lab):
Does the Prime Minister agree that the huge increase in knife crime has tragic consequences for families in constituencies such as mine? What will she do to work with me and other Members on both sides of the House to find solutions to this blight on young lives, including looking again at the budget for policing?
I welcome the hon. Lady to her place in the House. Her presence has enabled me to appoint a very good chief of staff to my office at No. 10. She raises the very serious issue of knife crime. The Government have been taking a tougher stance on knife crime. We do think this is an issue and we have done this in a variety of ways. Now, if people carry a knife in public they are much more likely to go to
prison. But we do recognise that there is more to do in this area. That is why yesterday my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced plans to consult on new offences to toughen up knife crime laws, including restricting the online sale of knives—we have done some of that already, but we think there is more for us to do—and banning possession of dangerous or offensive weapons on private property. The hon. Lady has raised an important issue and the Government have been addressing it. We recognise that we need to do more, and that is what my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is doing.
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
Croydon, with its vibrant Tech City, the redevelopment of Fairfield Halls and its unique street art scene, is fast becoming the new cultural hub of the south-east. Has the Minister lobbied for continued access to, or equivalent funding for, the £1.1 billion Creative Europe programme post-Brexit, which is such an important source of funding for the creative arts?
Croydon, with its vibrant Tech City, the redevelopment of Fairfield Halls and its unique street art scene, is fast becoming the new cultural hub of the south-east. Has the Minister lobbied for continued access to, or equivalent funding for, the £1.1 billion Creative Europe programme post-Brexit, which is such an important source of funding for the creative arts?
I have visited the tech scene and some of the creative hubs in Croydon, so I agree with the analysis that it is an extremely exciting place, and we are working on the question that the hon. Lady has raised.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) delays and (b) knock-on delays caused to Southern services at peak time due to holding trains to prevent simultaneous arrivals on platforms 15-19 at London Victoria station.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) delays and (b) knock-on delays caused to Southern services at peak time due to holding trains to prevent simultaneous arrivals on platforms 15-19 at London Victoria station.
It is up to the Rail Industry to deliver a timetable that provides passengers with the performance they expect, whilst maintaining safety. Peak services are timetabled to ensure there is sufficient gap between trains to allow passengers to clear platforms and concourse. Note that due to the track and platform layout at Victoria, there is a limit to the number of trains that can arrive in a short space of time at platforms 15-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps (a) his Department and (b) Network Rail are taking to ease peak-time overcrowding for Brighton Main Line passengers on platforms 15-19 at London Victoria.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps (a) his Department and (b) Network Rail are taking to ease peak-time overcrowding for Brighton Main Line passengers on platforms 15-19 at London Victoria.
Network Rail are working on a programme of improvements across the station including additional electronic signage, mobility assistance, additional seating and new information pods. Network Rail are also working with the Department on long term plans to improve passenger flows and reduce peak time crowding.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) his Department or (b) Network Rail have carried out a risk assessment on the ability to evacuate the concourse at London Victoria Station platforms 15 to 19 at peak time in an emergency.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) his Department or (b) Network Rail have carried out a risk assessment on the ability to evacuate the concourse at London Victoria Station platforms 15 to 19 at peak time in an emergency.
Network Rail is responsible for carrying out safety risk assessments at Victoria Station. They do these as part of Crowd Control & Emergency Plans, in line with Network Railâs Managed Stations Standards (MS). These are produced yearly as a minimum, but are also produced for special events and issues when they arise. Any incidents of crowd control or emergency evacuations are logged and recorded, and reported upon weekly to the Route Station Manager. Every incident has a post-incident debrief which is recorded and actions fed back into the plans.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the Gibb report into the Southern Rail franchise.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the Gibb report into the Southern Rail franchise.
The Chris Gibb report was published by the Department for Transport on 22 June 2017. The report is now available on the GOV.UK website along with the Secretary of State’s response.
Please see links provided: GOV.UK website link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/southern-rail-network-gibb-report
SoS response link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gibb-report-on-southern-rail-network-government-response
As soon as we received the report, the Department assessed Chris Gibb’s technical recommendations against work or commitments that were already planned or underway. In early January we committed an extra £300m funding for Network Rail to boost the resilience of the infrastructure along the Brighton mainline and associated routes.
The report could not be published during the pre-election period and we have published the report as soon as possible following the general election.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the Gibb report into the Southern Rail franchise.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the Gibb report into the Southern Rail franchise.
The Chris Gibb report was published by the Department for Transport on 22 June 2017. The report is now available on the GOV.UK website along with the Secretary of State’s response.
Please see links provided: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/southern-rail-network-gibb-report
SoS response link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gibb-report-on-southern-rail-network-government-response