Asked by: Fiona Mactaggart (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the oral Answer of 10 November 2014, Official Report, column 1164, on firefighters' pensions, how many hours of training in firefighting the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the hon. Member for Portsmouth North, completed.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
I have studied Chemical Biological Radiation Nuclear and Damage Control (CBRNDC), including firefighting, as part of my training as a Royal Navy Reservist. This is a mix of academic study and practical exercises carried out at a number of locations including BRNC Dartmouth, Phoenix CBRNDC School and sea-time on a warship, in my case HMS Bulwark during the Cougar 13 deployment. I have carried out this training over the last 3 years. It is not possible to calculate the number of hours spent on firefighting training but the syllabus for this requirement of Royal Naval Reservist training follows that in the Royal Navy Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defence Manual BR2170.
Asked by: Fiona Mactaggart (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made made of the accuracy of the ONS index of rental prices; and what recent assessment he has of the changes in the cost of private renting in Slough since 2010.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
The Office for National Statistics responded quickly to the need for better data by developing the quarterly Index of Private Housing Rental Prices, first published in June 2013 and dating back to January 2005 for England.
Currently the Office for National Statistics is consulting users of the index to identify improvements. The index is produced with a robust methodology, which is published and is based on extensive administrative data on rental values including both on-going and newly agreed tenancy agreements. Once the methodology is further tested and assessed, and the publication meets user needs, the Index of Private Housing Rental Prices will be assessed against the Code of Practice to achieve National Statistic status.
The index is available for Great Britain and its constituent countries; however it is not available at local authority district level. According to most recent figures the average cost of privately renting housing in England increased by 1.0 per cent in the 12 months to December 2013 – a fall in real terms.