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• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 13 March 2013

Can we look at the cost. We all understand the principles of trying to help people that are truly in need but it is right, is it not, that Housing Benefit costs have gone up by £10 billion since the beginning of the decade? It was about £11 billion in 2000/01 and it is now £21 billion, and if it were to go on then it would be £25 billion in the coming year if the reforms were not brought in. Jules Pipe, do you want to comment on that?

• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 21 July 2010

Minister, you have talked about devolution to the boroughs as a whole. Recently I read the suggestion by a former Parliamentary colleague, Rob Hayward [former Member of Parliament for Kingswood], that perhaps there are too many London boroughs; currently there are 32, and some of them are rather small. He said that he had been an advisor to the Secretary of State when he was in the Shadow Cabinet. Are you aware that your Department might be looking at reducing the number of London boroughs?

• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 21 July 2010

One historically controversial area has been the sale of school playing fields by local authorities for development. What sort of controls are you going to keep over that because the public do have some very strong feelings about it?