MQ late answers

Oct 18

‘People’s Vote’ on Brexit

Question No: 2018/2792

Andrew Dismore

Your support for a ‘People’s Vote’ on Brexit is welcome; what have you been doing to campaign for this to take place?

Answer for ‘People’s Vote’ on Brexit

The Mayor

Last updated: 24 October, 2018

Officers are drafting a response

‘People’s Vote’ on Brexit

The Mayor

Last updated: 21 January, 2019

I don’t believe it’s the will of the people to face either a bad Brexit deal or, worse still, no deal at all. That wasn’t on the table during the referendum campaign.

It’s time to take this crucial issue out of the hands of the politicians and return it to the people so that they can take back control. Another public vote on Brexit was never inevitable, but, in the absence of a General Election, giving people a fresh say is now the right approach for London and the whole country.

I have been standing up for what’s best for Londoners and highlighting this message as much as possible in recent months.  This includes speaking at the People’s March in October, lobbying the Government to change its damaging approach and persuading others to join the call for a public vote on Brexit.

 

 

Nov  18

EU citizenship status

Question No: 2018/3207

Andrew Dismore

With less than five months to go until the date the UK is due to leave the EU, is it fair that the Government are expecting London’s businesses to check whether EU citizens have a right to work here in a no-deal Brexit scenario, without giving them the details of how this will work?

Answer for EU citizenship status

The Mayor

Last updated: 28 November, 2018

Officers are drafting a response

EU citizenship status

The Mayor

Last updated: 21 January, 2019

No, it is not.  I remain deeply concerned that the UK Government is wholly unprepared for a no-deal Brexit; and its Technical Notices have not clarified matters in any meaningful way. And while the Prime Minister has committed to protect the rights of the EU citizens living in the UK in the event of no-deal, the Government have yet to provide any detail as to how this will be guaranteed.

My office is currently working closely with London’s business community to urge the Government to recognise the immigration system needs to make it easier – not harder – for employers to access the workforce that fuels our economy.

Autumn Budget

Question No: 2018/3208

Andrew Dismore

What is your assessment of the impact of the November Budget on Londoners’ living standards?

Answer for Autumn Budget

The Mayor

Last updated: 28 November, 2018

Officers are drafting a response

Autumn Budget

The Mayor

Last updated: 21 January, 2019

GLA Economics has not undertaken specific analysis on the impact of the November Budget on Londoners’ living standards as this would require complex and detailed modelling work. However, the Treasury has undertaken distributional analysis of the tax, welfare and public service spending decisions since the Autumn Statement 2016 which it published with the Budget. This found the bottom decile of UK households would be on average under £400 per year better off in 2019-20 due to these decisions, while the top decile household would be over £400 per year better off.

Further details can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/752045/impact_on_households_distributional_analysis_to_accompany_budget_2018_web.pdf

Gig economy (1)

Question No: 2018/3215

Andrew Dismore

Please provide figures for the number of Londoners that are working in the “gig economy”?

Answer for Gig economy (1)

The Mayor

Last updated: 28 November, 2018

Officers are drafting a response

Gig economy (1)

The Mayor

Last updated: 21 January, 2019

It isn’t possible to provide figures at a London level with any degree of certainty. ‘Good Work: The Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices’ (page 25) finds that “Current limitations on Labour Force Survey data means that we do not know with any certainty how many people are undertaking gig economy work and whether they are doing so to supplement other work or substituting employment totally with this type of work.” It refers to a survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development that estimates that there are approximately 1.3 million people working in the gig economy in the UK.

Gig economy (2)

Question No: 2018/3216

Andrew Dismore

Is the rise in the “gig economy” responsible for the rise in Londoners in insecure work? What other contributing factors are there?

Answer for Gig economy (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 28 November, 2018

Officers are drafting a response

Gig economy (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 21 January, 2019

The percentage of workers in insecure employment has risen over the last decade. In London, ten per cent of everyone in work was either employed in a job with a temporary contract, working through an employment agency or self-employed in occupations considered insecure such as caring, leisure or other service occupations, process plant and machine operatives or in elementary occupations. This compares with around 8 per cent in 2006. The UK-wide figure had increased more slowly, standing at around nine per cent of all workers in 2017. There is a degree to which such insecure employment can be seen as a flexible workforce, with workers able to move easily between jobs, with some workers (particularly well qualified, professional workers) compensated very well for this insecurity.

My recently published economic fairness indicator set tracks the growth of insecure employment https://data.london.gov.uk/economic-fairness/labour-market/insecure-employment/

Gig economy (3)

Question No: 2018/3217

Andrew Dismore

In what sectors in London is the “gig economy” most prevalent? Please provide figures.

Answer for Gig economy (3)

The Mayor

Last updated: 28 November, 2018

Officers are drafting a response

Gig economy (3)

The Mayor

Last updated: 21 January, 2019

It isn’t possible to provide figures. Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2018/3215.

Gig economy (4)

Question No: 2018/3218

Andrew Dismore

What age groups are most prevalent in London in the “gig economy”?

Answer for Gig economy (4)

The Mayor

Last updated: 28 November, 2018

Officers are drafting a response

Gig economy (4)

The Mayor

Last updated: 21 January, 2019

It isn’t possible to provide figures. Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2018/3215.

Question tile: Police funding settlement

Question No: 2018/3279

Andrew Dismore

In his budget speech, the Chancellor said: “The Home Secretary will review police spending power and further options for reform when he presents the provisional police funding settlement in December.” What are the implications of this for London?

Answer for Question tile: Police funding settlement

The Mayor

Last updated: 28 November, 2018

Officers are drafting a response

Question tile: Police funding settlement

The Mayor

Last updated: 21 January, 2019

The Government’s provisional funding settlement was announced on Thursday 13th December.

70 per cent of the Met’s funding is controlled by the Government and Ministers have repeatedly refused to reverse the cuts the Met have had to make. As a result, the Met have already had to make savings of £850m and I am furious that this is set to continue.

The Government’s funding settlement is smoke and mirrors. A large part of the new money provides funding for a pension pressure which was of the government’s own making. Furthermore, the £11.7m uplift for NICC falls well short of the £170m shortfall according to the Government’s own estimates. We’ve had months of warm words from the Home Secretary about the desperate need for more government funding in order to tackle violent crime, but Ministers have fundamentally failed to back that up with real money.

I am concerned that the Government is continuing to shift the burden of police funding from Government Grant to Council Tax- which is deeply regressive and hits the poorest the hardest. However, the brutal reality of the rise in violent crime, and cuts forced on the Met means that I have little choice but to increase the policing element of the council tax by the maximum allowed by Ministers.

Despite this, the reality is the Met still has to make savings of £263 million by 2022-23. If these required savings were delivered through officer reductions, this is estimated to reduce the number of police officers to 28,215 – a fifteen year low. At a time that violent crime is rising, this is a total abdication of the Government’s responsibility to public safety.

 

 

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