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171070

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Fire Prevention
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department allocated to the Fire Kills campaign in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
	tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
	uin	219100
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>The award-winning Fire Kills campaign promotes a range of fire safety messages, primarily around the importance of working smoke alarms, to help drive down the number of fires and associated casualties.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Outturn spending by my Department on the Fire Kills campaign was £898,000 in 2010-11, £980,000 in 2011-12, £946,000 in 2012-13 and £840,000 in 2013-14. Allocated spend in 2014-15 is £1 million. All figures exclude VAT.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The campaigns are run in conjunction with local fire and rescue authorities, who will also undertake expenditure. We also work with national (commercial) partners at no direct cost to taxpayers. Recent partners have included B&amp;Q and Sprue Safety Products, Ei Electronics, British Beer and Pubs Association, Poundland, Netmums, Working Mums, Boat Safety Scheme, Zurich Municipal Insurance and the Post Office, HETAS and 20th Century Fox (in conjunction with the film &quot;How to Train Your Dragon 2&quot;).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The 2013-14 Fire Kills report can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-kills-campaign-annual-report-2013-to-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-kills-campaign-annual-report-2013-to-2014</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 13/01/2015 14:27:09 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt previous answer version 36983 answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

90622

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Enterprise Zones
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report by the National Audit Office, Funding and structures for local economic growth, HC 542, published on 6 December 2013, what steps he has taken to implement recommendation 22f on page 13 of the report.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
	tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
	uin	208306
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/09/2014 answer text <p>As Enterprise Zones are a long term intervention (25 years in total) and the programme is still at an early stage, an evaluation of impact at this point would be premature. This reflects the practice of the previous evaluation which was commissioned in 1995 to assess the performance of Enterprise Zones that had been designated between 1981 and 1984. <br><br>However, the Department is looking at options now for a robust evaluation in the future, taking into account recent National Audit Office work on evaluation of spatial programmes, and lessons that can be learnt from the evaluations that are underway on other local growth programmes such as the Regional Growth Fund.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 24/09/2014 15:19:18 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt previous answer version 19171 answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

90623

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Enterprise Zones
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of new jobs that will be created by enterprise zones by 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
	tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
	uin	208307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/09/2014 answer text <p>Enterprise Zones are about delivering long term, locally-led, sustainable growth. Since they started in April 2012, they have laid down the foundations for their success and report that they have so far created over 10,000 jobs and attracted 377 businesses, bringing in £1.9 billion pounds of private sector investment.</p><p /> <p>We do not collect data on forecast job numbers by 2015, nor are we imposing Whitehall targets; the jobs to be created in each individual Enterprise Zone will reflect the type of commerce or industry supported on the sites (some sectors are more labour-intensive than others), the local priorities of the Enterprise Zone, the size and context of the zone’s sites and the broader local economy.</p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 24/09/2014 15:16:00 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt previous answer version 19172 answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

164326

	registered interest
	date	24/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Fire Services: Industrial Disputes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to local and central government of industrial action in the fire service since January 2014; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Helen Jones
	uin	215653
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p>The strike action called by the Fire Brigades Union has been unnecessary and unproductive. The 2015 firefighter pension scheme will provide one of the most generous schemes in the public sector and has been improved through consultation.</p><p> </p><p>Since January 2014, central government has invested £2 million to enhance the nation’s resilience against industrial action and other potential disruption to fire and rescue services.</p><p> </p><p>Individual fire and rescue authorities are responsible for their own business continuity plans for industrial action, and we do not hold information centrally on any costs they incur in implementing those plans, or indeed, the savings they will have accrued through deduction of striking firefighters’ wages.</p><p> </p><p>National resilience has been strengthened by the work and training undertaken by both local and central government.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 08/12/2014 16:58:48 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt previous answer version 30489 answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	432 label Biography information for Helen Jones

155751

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Fire and Rescue Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) whole-time and (b) part-time firefighters there were in (i) Northamptonshire and (ii) England in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Wellingborough
	tabling member printed	Mr Peter Bone
	uin	214654
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2015 answer text <p>The numbers of (a) whole-time and (b) retained duty system fire fighters in (i) Northamptonshire and (ii) England, as at the end of March in each of the last 10 years, are shown in the attached tables alongside the number of fire incidents attended:</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 23/03/2015 17:44:57 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt attachment 1 file name 214654 Bone.docx title Table of Whole Time and RDS Firefighters previous answer version 29046 answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	1581 label Biography information for Mr Peter Bone

223839

	registered interest
	date	26/02/2015
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	New Businesses: Government Assistance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support his Department is providing to coalfield communities to help develop new businesses; and what estimate he has made of the number of jobs which will be created as a result of such initiatives.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	225584
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Communities and Local Government has funded the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Coalfields Enterprise and Growth Funds and the Homes and Communities Agency’s coalfield projects. Based on information provided by these sources, 38 businesses have been developed and over 25,000 jobs have been created or safeguarded.</p><p>The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has a history of supporting communities through the provision of training and health programmes, community assets, and small grants. Going forward, they have been allowed to invest in property assets to generate income and growth. They will also be providing small start-up loans and supporting people to make the most of employment opportunities.</p><p>We have created Enterprise Zones in former a number of former coalfield areas – in Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham, Kent and the Tees Valley – all helping to create growth in former Coalfield communities. For example, the Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone aims to create 14,000 jobs by 2020 and has sites on former collieries. The Orgreave colliery and coking plant is now transformed into a centre for advanced manufacturing and Markham Vale is benefitting from capital grant funding to develop the successful business park. The Government has invested nearly £12 million into local infrastructure - £1.8 million investment in Sheffield Business Park Phase 2 and £10 million in the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 03/03/2015 17:03:59 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

227496

	registered interest
	date	16/03/2015
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Fire and Rescue Services: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether firefighters aged 55 who fail a fitness test will receive an unreduced pension; and whether he plans to bring in legislative proposals to make this a statutory right.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
	uin	227579
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2015 answer text <p>It is not possible to introduce fitness regulations as part of the pension regulations in the absence of an agreed and universally applied national firefighter fitness standard in England. The statutory principles that we put in the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England came into force on 12 January 2015. To underpin these the National Employers have sought further discussion with the Fire Brigades Union in respect of additional guidance relating to the position already agreed in principle within the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services about the role fire authorities will take in supporting operational employees to maintain their fitness. In addition, the National Employers are looking to discuss with the unions, guidance on application of the factors set out in Pension Regulations for fire authority consideration in relation to Authority Initiated Early Retirement. Both approaches are expected to provide reassurance to operational employees that fire authorities will continue to treat their employees in a fair and consistent manner.</p><p>We will review the implementation of the National Framework principles in three years time and consider then whether further action is needed. In the meantime no firefighter will have to work beyond their current expected retirement date until 2022 at the earliest. Our expectation is that a firefighter of 55 or over who finds themselves in the situation of losing their fitness through no fault of their own, is unable to regain their fitness, and for whom there are no redeployment opportunities, should be offered an unreduced pension.</p><p>Where underlying medical reasons have been identified that restrict or prevent an individual from achieving the necessary fitness standards for undertaking their role as a firefighter, the individual should be referred to occupational health, and must receive the necessary support to facilitate a return to operational duties. The fire and rescue authority should also fully explore opportunities to enable the individual to remain in employment, including through reasonable adjustments and appropriate redeployment within the role, where it appears the medical condition prevents a return to operational duties. In those circumstances, where there are no such opportunities or suitable alternative employment is unavailable, then the fire and rescue authority will commence the formal assessment for ill-health retirement by referring the case to the Independent Qualified Medical Practitioner. Where it is determined that a firefighter is permanently unable to continue in their role as a firefighter they would become entitled to the immediate payment of a lower tier ill-health pension. In addition to this, they would also receive a higher tier ill-health enhancement if it was also determined that they could not undertake any regular employment. The definition of ill-health is wide, and includes both physical and mental conditions, including arthritis and post-traumatic stress syndrome. It is important to note that, where a firefighter is deemed eligible for medical retirement, the authority must pay the ill-health pension - there is no discretion.</p><p>Any firefighter will continue to be free to choose to retire from 55 onwards should they wish to, regardless of their fitness. In such circumstances, any benefits accrued in the 1992 and 2006 firefighters' pension schemes would be paid in full, while benefits earned in the 2015 scheme would be actuarially reduced by 21.8 per cent for a firefighter retiring on their birthday at 55, and reduced on a daily basis thereafter. The actuarial reduction of 21.8 per cent at age 55 compares very favourably with a reduction of over 40 per cent applied to firefighters at the same age in the 2006 scheme. The 2006 scheme also introduced a normal pension age of 60. Overall, our measures give firefighters one of the most generous pensions in the public sector and the strongest protections available for any public sector workforce on fitness and ageing.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 19/03/2015 13:06:16 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

175017

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Fire and Rescue Services: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of 15 December 2014, Official Report, columns 1148-56, if the Minister will meet the Fire Brigades Union and fire authority employers, and their respective legal representatives, to discuss how commitments that she gave in that debate on fire service pensions will be implemented in practice; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Blaydon
	tabling member printed	Mr David Anderson
	uin	221637
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2015 answer text <p>My Department will be working with representative bodies and the employers in the fitness working group facilitated by the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser to provide good practice on the application of the firefighter fitness principles now incorporated into the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England. We have also agreed to set in train an independent review of the operation of these principles in three years time, and in the light of that review, to take such additional action as might be required to ensure the commitments made to Parliament are secured.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 28/01/2015 15:10:44 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	1486 label Biography information for Mr David Anderson

89994

	registered interest
	date	01/09/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Fire Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department audits the annual reports submitted to it on operations of fire and rescue services; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Colchester
	tabling member printed	Sir Bob Russell
	uin	207772
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2014 answer text <p>Section 25 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 requires the Secretary of State to report to Parliament every two years on the extent to which fire and rescue authorities are acting in accordance with the Fire and Rescue National Framework, which includes a requirement that authorities publish an annual statement of assurance on financial, governance and operational matters. A copy of that report has been placed in the Library of the House. <br><br>On 15 July 2014 the Secretary of State reported that he was satisfied that each fire and rescue authority in England had been acting in accordance with the Framework.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 08/09/2014 15:43:27 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	35 label Biography information for Sir Bob Russell

89995

	registered interest
	date	01/09/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Fire Services: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will provide additional funds to Essex Fire and Rescue Service to cover the cost of payments to the Firefighters Injury Pension scheme incurred in each financial year since 2006.
	tabling member constituency	Colchester
	tabling member printed	Sir Bob Russell
	uin	207773
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2014 answer text <p>The regulations governing the Firefighters’ Pension Schemes set out which payments are eligible for annual pension top-up grant claims by fire and rescue authorities and is paid by the Department. The statutory ‘<em>Guidance for fire and rescue authorities on new financial arrangements for firefighter pensions with effect from April 2006</em>’ issued by the Department in 2006 provides guidance for fire and rescue authorities to implement the finance arrangements, including setting out which specific payments are eligible for top-up grant expenditure and which are not eligible. The guidance sets out that injury awards are not eligible expenditure for the top up grant.</p><p> </p><p>We understand that, since the changes were implemented in 2006, Essex Fire and Rescue Authority has incorrectly claimed certain injury payments as eligible expenditure through the top-up grant. We are in discussions with the fire authority on this issue.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 09/09/2014 15:32:30 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
	tabling member	35 label Biography information for Sir Bob Russell