This is not a decision any Government would want to make, but we inherited a £22 billion black hole in the nation\u2019s finances. Difficult decisions are required.<\/p>
We continue to stand behind vulnerable households by:<\/p>
We are encouraging pensioners to check their eligibility for Pension Credit to ensure as many people as possible have access to support they\u2019re entitled to. We have seen a 152% increase in claims since announcement.<\/p>
An equality assessment was published by DWP on the 13th<\/sup> of September.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4444", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Karin Smyth"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bristol South"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Karin Smyth"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-10-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-10-16T08:52:57.467Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2024-10-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Winter Fuel Payment: Hospitals"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of introducing means-testing for the Winter Fuel Payment on hospital admissions.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4739", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jerome Mayhew"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broadland and Fakenham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jerome Mayhew"}
], "uin" : "900641"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1730732", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1730732/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government places great importance upon our agriculture and food production, and this is reflected in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework is clear that local planning authorities should recognise the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, including ground mounted solar, the planning authority should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4520", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Matthew Pennycook"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Greenwich and Woolwich"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Matthew Pennycook"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-10-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-10-14T14:45:18.437Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2024-10-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Solar Power: Planning Permission"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it is her policy that there is to be a presumption against planning permission for solar farms that are not nationally significant infrastructure projects on best and most versatile land.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4739", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jerome Mayhew"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broadland and Fakenham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jerome Mayhew"}
], "uin" : "6473"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1730766", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1730766/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The\u202fHorizon\u202fscandal was an unprecedented miscarriage of justice and the Government is working to notify all postmasters whose convictions have been quashed as quickly as possible. This work is carried out through a specially trained casework team who assess each case and verify that a conviction has been quashed by the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024. The team must assess a wide variety of data sources including records from the Police National Computer, Post Office Limited, His Majesty\u2019s Courts and Tribunals Service, His Majesty\u2019s Revenue and Customs and the Criminal Cases Review Commission. As some of these convictions are decades old, it can take time to retrieve crucial pieces of data such as court records which adds to the time taken to verify a conviction in scope of the Act.<\/p> As of 8 October 2024, the Ministry of Justice has 22 civil servants working on the process of informing individuals who have had a conviction quashed by the Act. This number includes the dedicated Post Office convictions casework team as well as policy advisers, legal advisers, analysts and managerial oversight. The process to provide financial redress to postmasters is undertaken separately by the Department for Business and Trade with a separate team of civil servants, once a conviction has been overturned.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4038", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Heidi Alexander"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Swindon South"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Heidi Alexander"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-10-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-10-14T16:51:12.923Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2024-10-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Horizon IT System: Convictions"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full-time civil servants are working on informing postmasters and former postmasters that their conviction has been quashed under the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4739", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jerome Mayhew"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broadland and Fakenham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jerome Mayhew"}
], "uin" : "6474"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1728481", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1728481/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Recent trends in the rate of the business rates multiplier can be found at:<\/p> https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-business-rates<\/a>.<\/p> <\/p> A number of reliefs are available to support businesses with their business rate liabilities. The eligibility criteria for them can be found on GOV.Uk<\/a>. This includes the Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) which provides 100% rate relief for eligible properties with rateable values below £12,000 with tapered relief available for eligible properties with rateable values between £12,000 and £15,000. SBRR means that over a third of the smallest non-domestic properties in England pay no business rates.<\/p> <\/p> I am unable to comment on the Welsh business rates system, as business rates is a devolved policy area which means this is a matter for the Welsh government.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4797", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for James Murray"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Ealing North"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "James Murray"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-09-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "5109"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-09-18T14:32:42.373Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2024-09-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Small Businesses: Business Rates"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the burden of business rates on small and medium-sized businesses.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4739", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jerome Mayhew"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broadland and Fakenham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jerome Mayhew"}
], "uin" : "5108"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1728482", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1728482/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Recent trends in the rate of the business rates multiplier can be found at:<\/p> https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-business-rates<\/a>.<\/p> <\/p>