The Department for Transport published an impact assessment (IA), which analysed the potential costs and benefits of the Bus Services Bill proposals. The IA can be accessed from the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bus-services-bill-impact-assessments.

The actual costs and benefits will depend on how franchising is implemented at the local level, and the Bill requires any authority wishing to pursue franchising to produce an assessment of its proposed scheme, which will include consideration of whether the authority would be able to afford the scheme and whether it would represent value for money.

We expect to reach our decision early in the new year on the Dorset councils’ proposal to establish a combined authority. The documents are publicly available on - https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/dorset-combined-authority

This is a matter between the local authority and Historic England, and the information is not therefore held centrally. The local Historic England office may be able to provide you with more information. We have passed this request onto DCMS, the Department which has responsibility for Historic England.

I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of the letter we have received from Dorset Councils since 1 July 2016.

The power to create new benefits in devolved areas and the power to top up benefits in reserved areas were commenced on 5 September 2016, enabling the Scottish Parliament to legislate on these matters. I look forward to hearing how the Scottish Government intend to use these substantial new powers.

As I referenced in the response to my hon Friend’s previous question, the UK Government has agreed to consider an approach to splitting competence at the request of Scottish Government Ministers. The Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare will meet again early in the new year to discuss progress. The UK Government will continue to work with the Scottish Government to achieve a safe and secure transfer of powers, with those people affected by the changes at the heart of all considerations.

As announced in Summer Budget 2015, and after more than four years of operation, the Equitable Life Payment Scheme is now closed. As a result the Payment Scheme is in the process of winding down. I will meet with a delegation of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Justice for Equitable Life Policy Holders.

The meeting has been arranged at the request of local Dorset leaders to discuss their views on local government structures in the area.

Officials in my department regularly meet with councillors and officials from Dorset on a range of issues, including the future of local government in Dorset. A comprehensive list of meetings could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

At the request of Scottish Government Ministers, the UK Government has agreed to consider an approach to splitting competence, and to extend the timetable for transfer of executive competence for the remaining welfare sections of the Scotland Act 2016, to April 2020. The UK Government’s priority is the 1.4 million Scots who will be affected by the changes, and we will continue to work with the Scottish Government to achieve a safe and secure transfer of powers. This was discussed at the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare on 11 October, the minutes of which are available publicly.

Once the Scottish Parliament are ready to assume executive competence of the powers, the funding will transfer, and it will be for the Scottish Government to confirm how these arrangements will feature in its forthcoming budget. A number of welfare provisions in the Act, including the power to create new benefits in devolved areas and the power to top up reserved benefits, have already come into force.

Although the Equitable Life Payment Scheme is closed, I would be happy to meet with a delegation from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Justice for Equitable Life Policy Holders.

In 2015 the government introduced legislation to prevent local authorities from charging their residents to dispose of household waste at household waste recycling centres. Recently updated guidance on these centres, prepared by the charity WRAP, classifies DIY waste as household waste if it results from work a householder would normally carry out. The government supports that position.

At the request of Scottish Government Ministers, the UK Government has agreed to consider an approach to splitting competence, and to extend the timetable for transfer of executive competence for the remaining welfare sections of the Scotland Act 2016, to April 2020. The UK Government’s priority is the 1.4 million Scots who will be affected by the changes, and we will continue to work with the Scottish Government to achieve a safe and secure transfer of powers. This was discussed at the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare on 11 October, the minutes of which are available publicly.

Once the Scottish Parliament are ready to assume executive competence of the powers, the funding will transfer, and it will be for the Scottish Government to confirm how these arrangements will feature in its forthcoming budget. A number of welfare provisions in the Act, including the power to create new benefits in devolved areas and the power to top up reserved benefits, have already come into force.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has a duty to review mergers and acquisitions involving National Health Service foundation trusts to assess the impact on quality and choice of NHS services to patients. If an NHS proposal has been reviewed and has given undertakings to the CMA relating to its future merger or reorganisation plans, then the NHS foundation trusts can put forward any new proposal to merge services or work jointly for the CMA to consider. The CMA will then consider whether there has been a change in circumstances to justify varying or releasing the undertakings previously given.

This information is not held centrally and I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 21 November 2016 to Question 53429.

In addition to the information provided in my Answer to Question 53429, NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) advises there are 22 inpatient beds at Wimborne Hospital and 22 at St Leonard’s Hospital in the East Dorset locality. Any future plans for these beds are a matter for the local NHS. We understand the CCG is in the process of carrying out a Clinical Services Review, which will be subject to public consultation in due course.

The CCG also advises that Broadwaters residential care home sited in Wick is a local authority facility where 26 beds provide care to Bournemouth people.

The CCG further advises Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch NHS Foundation Trusts, NHS Dorset CCG and the local authority spot purchase with a large range of care/nursing homes a further 18 beds across both Christchurch and Bournemouth localities.

This information is not held centrally and I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 21 November 2016 to Question 53429.

In addition to the information provided in my Answer to Question 53429, NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) advises there are 22 inpatient beds at Wimborne Hospital and 22 at St Leonard’s Hospital in the East Dorset locality. Any future plans for these beds are a matter for the local NHS. We understand the CCG is in the process of carrying out a Clinical Services Review, which will be subject to public consultation in due course.

The CCG also advises that Broadwaters residential care home sited in Wick is a local authority facility where 26 beds provide care to Bournemouth people.

The CCG further advises Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch NHS Foundation Trusts, NHS Dorset CCG and the local authority spot purchase with a large range of care/nursing homes a further 18 beds across both Christchurch and Bournemouth localities.

When enacting the Cities and Local Government Act 2016, Parliament agreed the process for conferring powers on a combined authority, including conferring powers on an established combined authority, and there are no plans to seek any change to this.

Any criteria for council tax equalisation would be developed on a case-by-case basis. The Government remains committed to working with local authorities to keep council tax low for hard-working taxpayers. It has issued no guidance to local authorities considering proposals for reorganisation.

GOV.UK provides a single ‘front page’ through which users can report misleading websites - however, users are linked through to Action Fraud and Google to make the reports themselves. GOV.UK is just one of many sources of referral to these sources.

For government action on misleading websites, I refer the honourable gentleman to my previous answer to PQ52413.

Further to my reply given to Question 52427, NHS England advises that the correct figure for the number of community beds in Dorset is 347, of which 286 are community hospital beds. This corrects the answer I gave on 14 November 2016.

NHS England advises community hospital beds are located in the following areas:

- 137 beds in East Dorset; Poole Bay; Poole Central; Poole North; and Purbeck;

- 44 beds in Bournemouth North; Central Bournemouth; Christchurch; and East Bournemouth; and

- 166 beds in Dorset West; Mid Dorset; North Dorset; and Weymouth and Portland.

NHS England further advises that the additional 69 community beds are proposed to be located in the following hospitals:

- Bridport Community Hospital;

- Weymouth Community Hospital;

- Blandford Community Hospital;

- Swanage Community Hospital;

- Wimborne Community Hospital; and

- Yeatman Hospital.

Dependent upon the outcome of a public consultation, which NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) expects to run in due course, beds will also be located at Poole, Royal Bournemouth or Christchurch hospitals.

Of the 69 additional beds, extra care home beds will be required in four main areas to take account of proposals to consolidate community hospital bed on fewer sites; as well as meeting the needs of people in Christchurch, Bournemouth and Poole. These areas are Wareham, Shaftesbury and Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch. Until the consultation is concluded the CCG is not able to develop the definitive sites for these beds.

The Data and Communications Company (DCC) is consulting on options for moving SMETS1 meters into the new national smart metering data and communications infrastructure to make them interoperable between energy suppliers when customers switch supplier (https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/media/409998/iepfr_consultation_-_published.pdf). Following consultation, the DCC will submit a report on enrolment options to the Government in Spring 2017. The timetable for completion of the DCC’s work on interoperability is dependent on the outcome of the consultation.

In advance of moving SMETS1 meters into the DCC, industry is separately developing interim solutions that could enable consumers with SMETS1 meters to retain their smart services upon switching supplier. Those solutions are scheduled to begin testing from 2017.