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• Reference: 2013/0006-1
• Question by: Fiona Twycross
• Meeting date: 13 March 2013

London is about to experience the largest change to the welfare system since the 1940's, due to take effect on 1 April. These changes include the overall benefit cap, uprating Local Housing Allowance by CPI, bedroom tax (under-occupancy penalties), localisation of the discretionary social fund, localisation of council tax benefit, and replacement of Disability Allowance with the Personal Independence Payment. Can you provide a very general picture of the impact these changes will have on the people of London?

• Reference: 2013/0008-1
• Question by: Len Duvall OBE
• Meeting date: 13 March 2013

The 'bedroom tax' will result in an immediate cut in Housing Benefit of 14% for those deemed to have one extra bedroom and 25% for two or more extra bedrooms. However, the extent to which such penalties will make a difference is questionable, as there is a significant mismatch between under-occupying and over-occupying households - with 80,000 households in London under-occupancy, against 260,000 over-crowded households. Will the bedroom tax help address overcrowding in London in any substantive way, and what impact do you believe it will have on established communities and social cohesion in the capital?

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 13 March 2013

I want to follow up from Stephen Knight's questioning on the CPI. Perhaps I could ask Kate, because she did not get a chance to answer. Have I got it right that the CPI is going to mean that rents are now going to be tagged to the CPI, rather than to rent inflation? Further, as the CPI has always risen at a much lower rate than rents, the 30th percentile which the LHA is tagged to will drop to perhaps 20th or 10th percentile available? Have I got this right?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 13 March 2013

I want to start with Mayor Pipe and then move to the other two guests if I can. My questions were about the four pilots because two of them, Enfield and Haringey, I represent so we have great concerns about it. I was quite shocked to hear that you view this as just a test of DWP's own systems as opposed to a true pilot. My question is around the pilot which I believe is to last approximately six months and lessons are supposed to be learned before it is rolled out. In the meantime is it your belief that...

• Question by: Onkar Sahota
• Meeting date: 13 March 2013

This is about 'bedroom tax'. I do welcome the retreat made by the Secretary of State [Iain Duncan Smith MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions] yesterday on three issues. However, I am still concerned - and I am talking as a practising doctor - that I, and my colleagues who see patients, who come to us for letters of exemption where there are adults who have problems or even children who have problems which are not covered by the Disability Act. How responsive are the local authorities on making these exemptions to patients who have genuine grounds supported...

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 13 March 2013

Can I direct my question to Jules Pipe. It is not often we have had a Labour Mayor in front of us in these sessions! Jules, I wanted to ask you about fuel poverty and the welfare of reforms. I know London Councils have got concerns on that front. Could you please expand on the work London Councils have done on that front as it has an impact on people's abilities to pay the bills as well?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

Absolutely. I am aware of the Canary Wharf initiative, and I laud it. It is absolutely fantastic, and it is the kind of thing we want. We work very closely in north London with The College of North West London to try to look at the skills that will be needed in that area. Therefore, through the LSC and the further education colleges, it is absolutely essential that we work out the skills that are needed. That is what happened in Canary Wharf. They worked out the skills that were needed, and then were able to provide the training for...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

I think it would be very helpful if that were done, but also, if something which is accessible to local businesses who are not politicians like us ' who understand all these convoluted politician-speak reports ' something which they could understand and could understand how they could have access to tendering and contracts and get some of the benefits which they have been promised out of the Olympics. I hope that is possible, as well. The second question, then, is about employment training in the construction industry. My understanding is that there has already been quite a bit of work...

• Reference: 2004/0196-1
• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

How are you going to ensure that those living in Thames Gateway will have the necessary skills to access more of the new jobs created there? .

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 17 March 2004

Perhaps I should declare that I was at that partnership board as well, and I welcome the work that you are doing on this. But my constituents in east London can, I think, be forgiven for being a bit cynical about regeneration in the area, because it is all very well to get investment bankers there, but very few local kids become investment bankers and the arrival of investment bankers very often, by driving up the land values, forces out SMEs in traditional old workshops, which have been a classic leg-up for people in east London in the past. They...