February 2009 report

Meg Hillier MP - monthly report

1. Parliamentary Business

Welfare reform bill

The welfare reform bill passed its third reading in March.

The bill replaces incapacity benefit with the new employment and support allowance which will focus on what people can do rather than what they can't. The employment and support allowance was brought in for all new claimants in October last year.

All existing incapacity benefit claimants will be reassessed using the new, more sensitive medical assessment between 2010 and 2013.

Those with the greatest need will get a higher level of benefit; an extra £17.60 a week for many of the poorest and most disabled people. They will not be required to attend work interviews but the service will be open to them if they choose.

Those assessed for the work-related activity group will be required to attend interviews with Pathways to Work providers and develop a personalised plan to help them get back to health and back in to work.

In the future people attending Pathways to Work will get one-to-one help from a personal adviser. They can also get specialist support to help plan a return to work such as counselling for people with depression or pain management for people with back problems.

Crucially no-one will see a cut in their benefits.

The bill also gives disabled people greater control over the benefits they receive giving different benefits as one single budget to spend as needed.

Changes made to the bill at third reading introduce a higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance for blind people. The intention is to support some 20,000 visually impaired people with the cost of travel. This is particularly important for blind people in areas where there are limited public transport options. At current rates this will mean an additional payment worth £29 a week to those who qualify (£1,508 per year).

I have previously raised this issue with ministers and I am pleased that it has been included in the bill.

Business rate supplements bill

The business rate supplements bill had its third reading in March and has been passed. It is now being read in the Lords (this means the House of Lords is scrutinising the bill).

The bill creates a new power for county councils (and the Greater London authority in London) to levy a local supplement on the business rate. Local authorities will be able to retain the proceeds to promote economic development in their area such as transport infrastructure projects.

Properties with a rateable value of £50,000 or less will be exempt and there will be a national upper limit of 2p per pound.

The bill will allow the Mayor of London to raise extra money necessary for the construction of Crossrail.

2. Other matters

Public services reform

The Government has published proposals for major public service reform.

The proposals aim to give greater power to the citizen to personalise and control their services; to give greater freedom to frontline public servants (instead of being managed from Whitehall), and make central government more efficient.

The reforms will touch all areas of public service from education to policing.

In health over the next 12 months the Government is introducing personal care plans for patients with long-term illnesses so they can control their own health care budgets; preventative health checks (for 1 million people by 2010); more GPs surgeries opening for early morning, evening and weekend appointments; more investment in adult social care and more counselling services (see report on access to therapy).

In education and childcare, the next 12 months will see the opening of the 3,000th children's centre; 80 more academies in 2009 and 100 more in 2010; extension of free childcare places to disadvantaged 2 year olds; one-to-one catch up tuition for pupils (aged 7 - 14) falling behind in English and maths and new methods of alternative provision for disaffected pupils.

In policing, the Government is introducing crime maps for all areas and giving local people the opportunity to have a say in the justice system through community payback where you can nominate projects to be undertaken through community service.

Other measures include help for new and existing teachers including a fast track scheme for aspiring headteachers.

Across Government departments there will be significant money savings (equivalent to £1,400 per household) to be allocated to frontline services and increased accountability for Whitehall civil servants.

Health in pregnancy grants

From April 2009, mums-to-be can claim a one-off tax-free payment of £190.

The grant is available to anyone who is at least 25 weeks pregnant. The grant will not affect tax credits or any other benefits. Every mum-to-be will have access to the same grant.

Forms can be obtained from the midwife or doctor who must sign the form and give it back. Payments will be made direct to the recipient's bank account.

There is a reminder services for mums not yet 25 weeks pregnant. To sign up for these visit www.campaigns.direct.gov.uk/money4mum2be/ .

This site also has further information on the grant. Local midwives have already told me how money for healthier food is making a difference. This is a welcome addition to maternal health in Hackney.

Access to therapy

Health Secretary Alan Johnson and Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell have announced a number of measures to help people who are experiencing depression or anxiety caused by unemployment.

The measures include increasing provision of therapies and employment support workers. An extra £13 million will be invested to support these measures.

Around six million adults in the UK suffer from depression with many stuck on incapacity benefits unable to return to work. The new programme will enable the NHS to offer greater support to people with complimentary services such as debt advice and family counselling.

Regulation of bailiffs

The Government is introducing stronger regulations for the bailiff industry which will include tougher checks on who can be a bailiff and clearer guidelines on what they can and can't do.

The laws on bailiffs were brought under a single act in 2007. By 2012 the long term changes will be in place introducing independent regulation.

In the meantime, the Government is introducing measures to safeguard the public from cowboy bailiffs. These include an online certificated bailiff register so people can check if a bailiff is certificated. A criminal records bureau check and minimum training requirements will be part of the certification process.

Nursing and midwifery

The Prime Minister has set up a commission of experts to advise on the future of nursing and midwifery.

The commission will look at how to give nurses and midwives more freedom to commission and run their own services.

The commission will consult with professionals, patients and the public over the next few months.

Policing pledge

Police forces around the country are introducing the new policing pledge which sets out the minimum standards that can be expected from the police.

There is a new website where you can type in your postcode and be taken straight to the pages for your local neighbourhood policing team. These pages contain contact details, notice of local meetings, action on local priorities and crime maps. Visit www.direct.gov.uk/policingpledge

Alongside the pledge is a new text back service. Text 'Pledge' and your postcode to 66101 and you will receive contact details for your local neighbourhood police team.

3. Hackney issues

Hackney Youth Hubbz

Children and young people's minister Beverley Hughes visited Hoxton Hall in March to announce the successful myplace projects.

Hackney council has secured £5m of Government funding from the myplace programme towards a £8.3m project which will include two new buildings and three refurbishments to provide world-class youth facilities aimed at young people aged 11 to 19 years.

Hackney's Youth Hubbz is one of 41 successful projects nationally. The projects have been selected by young people who have played a central role in awarding the funding. The new youth facilities aim to provide a safe place for young people to go and crucially will be open at times that suit them, especially Friday and Saturday night.

The Hackney project will offer sport, music, art, fashion, photography, media, dance, youth club and informal drop in activities. Support services will also be in place to provide guidance and information on life skills, sexual health, education, training and careers advice.

The myplace programme is a ten year strategy for improving youth facilities, being administered on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families by the Big Lottery Fund.

More information on myplace is available at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_myplace

Hoxton Post Office

Murray Grove post office is to be reinstated. Hackney Council have made a grant available to keep the post office open as a social enterprise.

Having challenged the decision to close this post office, I am delighted that it is to remain open.

River Lee clean up

British Waterways, the Environment Agency and the Olympic Delivery Authority have started a joint project to clean up the River Lee. Works will take place between March and May 2009.

The dredging programme will start by removing large objects such as car parts and shopping trolleys before removing the silt from the river bed. Removing the polluted sediment will gradually help improve the quality of the river encouraging wildlife to return.

Olympic update

Work is underway at the Olympic site to improve walking and cycling routes around and leading to the site.

The aim is to have all spectators arriving at the games on public transport, walking or cycling. £11.5 million is being invested in upgrading the routes to make walking and cycling more attractive.

The plans include enhancing eight greenway routes (mostly off road, linking green spaces) one of which is the existing Greenway from Beckton to Victoria Park. Another greenway proposed will connect Finsbury Park to Victoria Park passing through Hackney's other green spaces on the way. Route enhancements will commence in June this year and be completed by May 2011.

The 2012 walking and cycling plans will be integrated with other transport so spectators can do part of the journey on foot/cycle and part on public transport.

This will include plenty of extra cycle parking facilities at transport hubs and close to venues.

The Olympic Delivery Authority has also been promoting cycling safety by giving out lenses to lorry drivers to remove the driver's blind spot.

After the games cyclists will be able to make use of the Velopark which will be turned into a cycling hub including a 6km mountain bike course, 1.6km road circuit and a BMX track.

East London line update

Throughout March there will be a number of works taking place in the Dalston area for the East London line development.

Traffic will be diverted from 21 March for approximately 9 weeks to enable the replacement of Dalston Lane Bridge. There will be four beam deliveries on 26 and 27 March affecting Kingsland Road and the pavement on Kingsland High Street will be closed on Sundays throughout March to enable the removals of scaffolding and hoardings.

Circle line timetable change

From December 2009 circle line trains will extend nine stops from Edgware Road to Hammersmith (currently served by the Hammersmith and City line). Benefits will include an easier journey from Paddington to Kings Cross. Other changes to the timetables include extra Metropolitan line trains through Aldgate in the morning peak period.