Asked by: Victoria Borwick (Conservative - Kensington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to bring forward legislative proposals on subletting through companies, such as Airbnb, to mandate the owner's permission before that accommodation is sublet; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Barwell
The Government supports the shared economy, and subletting where the tenant has the landlord’s agreement. Generally, a tenancy agreement will state that before subletting, a tenant must obtain the landlord’s consent, which must not be unreasonably withheld, and we have made it clear in our model tenancy agreement for assured shorthold tenancies that tenants must always seek permission from the landlord before subletting all or part of the property.
The Government does not wish to be prescriptive in these matters and individuals should have regard to the terms of their tenancy agreement and/or lease when considering subletting.
Asked by: Victoria Borwick (Conservative - Kensington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on subletting through companies, such as Airbnb, to mandate the owner's permission before that accommodation is sublet.
Answered by Lord Barwell
The Government supports the shared economy, and subletting where the tenant has the landlord’s agreement. Generally, a tenancy agreement will state that before subletting, a tenant must obtain the landlord’s consent, which must not be unreasonably withheld, and we have made it clear in our model tenancy agreement for assured shorthold tenancies that tenants must always seek permission from the landlord before subletting all or part of the property.
The Government does not wish to be prescriptive in these matters and individuals should have regard to the terms of their tenancy agreement and/or lease when considering subletting.
Asked by: Victoria Borwick (Conservative - Kensington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to bring forward legislative proposals for the operation of pedicabs in London.
Answered by Andrew Jones
We have been working with Transport for London (TfL) to draft legislation which would enable TfL to regulate pedicabs. We will identify an appropriate legislative slot as soon as possible.
Asked by: Victoria Borwick (Conservative - Kensington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the effect of pedicab drivers on traffic congestion in Central London.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Traffic congestion in London is caused by a wide range of factors, and the Department has made no assessment of the extent to which pedicabs contribute to it. The impacts of pedicabs on congestion are highly localised, and the Department has been lobbied by a number of stakeholders who have said that they are contributing significantly to congestion problems on the roads and pavements in certain parts of the West End of London where numbers of them tend to congregate.
Asked by: Victoria Borwick (Conservative - Kensington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for introducing legislative proposals on the operation of pedicabs in London.
Answered by Andrew Jones
We will introduce legislation on pedicabs when an appropriate legislative slot becomes available.
Asked by: Victoria Borwick (Conservative - Kensington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with (a) NHS England, (b) clinical commissioning groups and (c) local authorities in London on ensuring appropriate services are in place to increase the number of people who use or have used drugs who are tested for and diagnosed with hepatitis C.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
We expect NHS England, clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to follow guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on improving uptake of testing for hepatitis C (and B):
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph43
We also expect treatment for hepatitis C as approved by NICE to be available in line with the guidance issued to operational delivery networks by NHS England. Treatment is prioritised on clinical need and not on the presumed route of infection.
The commissioning and care planning of treatment is supported by a number of documents including:
Public Health Report on Commissioning of HCV services in London for People who Inject Drugs published in 2013 by the London Joint Working Group on Substance Use and Hepatitis C and NHS North West London:
Hepatitis Frequently asked questions, Briefing for councillors jointly published in 2013 by Public Health England (PHE) and the Local Government:
Improving access to, and completion of, hepatitis C treatment published in 2015 by PHE:
Asked by: Victoria Borwick (Conservative - Kensington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England and operational delivery networks in London on ensuring that the new hepatitis C treatments are available to people who use or have used drugs.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
We expect NHS England, clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to follow guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on improving uptake of testing for hepatitis C (and B):
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph43
We also expect treatment for hepatitis C as approved by NICE to be available in line with the guidance issued to operational delivery networks by NHS England. Treatment is prioritised on clinical need and not on the presumed route of infection.
The commissioning and care planning of treatment is supported by a number of documents including:
Public Health Report on Commissioning of HCV services in London for People who Inject Drugs published in 2013 by the London Joint Working Group on Substance Use and Hepatitis C and NHS North West London:
Hepatitis Frequently asked questions, Briefing for councillors jointly published in 2013 by Public Health England (PHE) and the Local Government:
Improving access to, and completion of, hepatitis C treatment published in 2015 by PHE:
Asked by: Victoria Borwick (Conservative - Kensington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs plans to undertake or commission on the risk of blood-borne viruses for former sex workers and ex-intravenous drug users.
Answered by Jane Ellison
As a Departmental Expert Committee the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) does not undertake or commission research directly. SaBTO is carrying out a review of selection criteria for donation of blood, tissues and cells. The review will be wide-ranging and comprehensive and will include evidence relating to the risks of blood-borne infections in people who have previously injected drugs or received money or drugs for sex. Should any gaps be identified in the course of the review, SaBTO could make research recommendations.
Asked by: Victoria Borwick (Conservative - Kensington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support disabled people affected by the changes to employment and support allowance work-related activity group.
Answered by Priti Patel - Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
We are providing new funding for additional practical support for claimants with limited capability for work from April 2017, when the removal of the work-related activity component will come into effect, rising from £60 million in 2017/18 to £100 million a year in 2020/21.
In addition to this, we also plan to provide additional funding of £15 million in 2017/18 to increase the local Jobcentre Flexible Support Fund.
Asked by: Victoria Borwick (Conservative - Kensington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government steps to encourage local authorities (a) to use their powers under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and (b) in other ways to allocate space for surgeries in new developments.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Departmental officials have regular contact with those at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Discussions have included the funding of local infrastructure through the community infrastructure levy and section 106 agreements. We consider that national planning guidance published by DCLG provides local planning authorities with the required information to enable them to assess the future provision of local infrastructure which will include health and social care facilities.
The provision of national health services in England is managed by clinical commissioning groups and NHS England. In order to assess whether new surgeries or other healthcare facilities will be required as a result of new development, local planning authorities should engage with these commissioners.
They should be able to assess whether existing health services will be adversely affected by a new residential scheme and if so, what additional healthcare facilities would be required. This could include the enlargement of existing premises or lead to a requirement for new accommodation. Based on this information, the local planning authority has to make a decision on the appropriate funding arrangements for the required infrastructure resulting from a new development.
We consider the best solution in this matter is for local planning authorities to use their existing powers to consult with the commissioners rather than any intervention by the Department.