The number of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties owned by the Ministry of Defence between 1 April 2010 and 1 April 2017 is as follows:

The Government’s SME credit data sharing scheme will make it easier for challenger banks and alternative finance providers to check the creditworthiness of businesses, which will improve the chances of them being able to provide finance to SMEs.

Each of the banks designated by the Government has received a formal letter from at least one of the designated credit reference agencies to request the data that banks are required to share under the scheme. All nine designated banks will therefore be sharing data by the end of the year.

The Treasury’s assessment of the impact of the scheme was published alongside the relevant legislation:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2015/273/pdfs/ukia_20150273_en.pdf

The regulations include a requirement for the Treasury to review the scheme, and the Competition and Markets Authority’s final report under the Retail banking market investigation recommended that the Treasury review the scheme in summer 2018.

The Government’s SME credit data sharing scheme will make it easier for challenger banks and alternative finance providers to check the creditworthiness of businesses, which will improve the chances of them being able to provide finance to SMEs.

Each of the banks designated by the Government has received a formal letter from at least one of the designated credit reference agencies to request the data that banks are required to share under the scheme. All nine designated banks will therefore be sharing data by the end of the year.

The Treasury’s assessment of the impact of the scheme was published alongside the relevant legislation:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2015/273/pdfs/ukia_20150273_en.pdf

The regulations include a requirement for the Treasury to review the scheme, and the Competition and Markets Authority’s final report under the Retail banking market investigation recommended that the Treasury review the scheme in summer 2018.

The Government’s SME credit data sharing scheme will make it easier for challenger banks and alternative finance providers to check the creditworthiness of businesses, which will improve the chances of them being able to provide finance to SMEs.

Each of the banks designated by the Government has received a formal letter from at least one of the designated credit reference agencies to request the data that banks are required to share under the scheme. All nine designated banks will therefore be sharing data by the end of the year.

The Treasury’s assessment of the impact of the scheme was published alongside the relevant legislation:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2015/273/pdfs/ukia_20150273_en.pdf

The regulations include a requirement for the Treasury to review the scheme, and the Competition and Markets Authority’s final report under the Retail banking market investigation recommended that the Treasury review the scheme in summer 2018.

The Government are not selling the shares now. The Budget set out our intention, which it has always been, to return the bank to the private sector and sell those shares by the end of 2018-19. I am sure the hon. Gentleman recognises that the balance sheet is half the size it was in 2008, when his party paid 502p a share. The bank is therefore in a very different place from the mess we inherited from the Labour party.

As I have already said, the Government have made it clear—the Prime Minister set this out in the Florence speech—that we want to agree an implementation period as part of a deal with the European Union. We are greatly encouraged by the fact that, at last week’s European Council, the 27 agreed to start internal preparatory discussions on guidelines in relation to an implementation period. We are confident that that will give British businesses confidence that we are going to provide them with the certainty they require.

No assessment has been undertaken on the effect of charging full rates on vacant business premises in economically deprived areas. However, regulations made under the Local Government Finance Act 1988, provide exemptions from empty property rates if a property is unoccupied for 3 or (6 months if it qualifies as an industrial property).

Updated estimates of opiate and crack cocaine use in England, including estimates for each local authority, will be published on 27 September 2017.

There are no such dispensing practices in Greater Manchester.

In general, dispensing doctors, as well as community pharmacies, can dispense prescriptions for diamorphine, including those in the Greater Manchester area. Only those on the pharmaceutical list can do so under National Health Service pharmaceutical services. However, under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1997, if the diamorphine is for addiction the prescribing general practitioner and the dispensing doctor must hold a special licence issued by the Home Secretary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to tackle trends in the incidence of the drug known as Spice

Use of new psychoactive substances has fallen significantly since we introduced the Psychoactive Substances Act, hundreds of retailers have shut and the first offenders have been convicted.

However, the Government recognises how dangerous synthetic cannabinoids, such as those found in spice, can be and the devastating impact that they can have on those taking them. That is why we acted to control these substances as class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act and give the police the powers they need to take action, including making possession illegal and delivering longer sentences for dealers

Our new Drug Strategy, emphasised the importance of a joined up approach to tackling the harms caused by drugs to prevent substance misuse, restrict the supply of drugs and support people from drug dependency. We strongly support the multi-agency approach being taken in areas to respond to this issue to reduce burden on public services and to prevent harm to the individuals themselves.

We are currently working with Rail North and Network Rail to develop very significant improvements for rail passengers on the route from 2022. These could be the result of investment in new trains, electrification or other infrastructure work. The options will be costed by December, ahead of a decision next year.

It is for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to decide how to fund any future extensions to the Manchester Metrolink system. This could include bidding for central Government funding. GMCA has already received funding from the Local Large Majors Fund to help develop a business case for a short extension of the Airport Line to serve the expanded terminal. They plan to bid for scheme funding by the end of the year. The bid will be in competition with a number of other schemes and decisions on which will be funded are to be taken in the New Year.

Based on data from the Office of National Statistics, household debt-to-income ratio was 145% in Q1 2017. This is notably below the pre-crisis high of 160% in Q1 2008.

The independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) was set up by the government to assess and mitigate financial stability risks, including from household debt. The FPC has taken action to ensure against a significant rise in highly indebted households.

A consultation will commence in due course.

The Department has received representations on this subject, such as recent correspondence, however this is a matter for NHS England. No decision has been made to end surgical provision for Congenital Heart Disease conditions at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

NHS England opened a further public consultation on 9 February 2017 to provide the public with information about these proposals, and the potential impact they may have, if implemented, on the delivery of services, and to seek views about their plans. This consultation closed on 17 July 2017.

NHS England and Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust staff recently met with patients and their representatives to provide further information. At the meeting, patients were able to express their views, and their feedback will help to inform the next steps.

Highways England and Transport for the North are continuing work to understand the cost and benefits of linking the Manchester and Sheffield areas by tunnel. This will be completed by the autumn, when more information will be made available.

The Treasury has not made an assessment of the potential effect of a rise in interest rates on mortgage possessions.

However, affordability requirements imposed by the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) require lenders to conduct an interest rate ‘stress test’ on all new mortgage loans. The requirement ensures that all borrowers must be able to afford their mortgage repayments if, at any point over the first five years of the loan, their mortgage rate were to be 3 percentage points higher than the reversion rate (SVR) specified in the mortgage contract at origination.

In addition, the FPC also requires regulators to ensure that mortgage lenders do not extend more than 15% of new mortgages at loan to income multiples (LTI) at or greater than 4.5.

These measures insure against the risk of a significant increase in the number of indebted households in the case of an interest rate rise. For this reason, a rise in interest rates would not be expected to significantly increase the number of mortgage repossessions.

I am not going to speculate on the negotiations, as that would be way above my pay grade. I just refer the hon. Gentleman to the Chancellor’s answer a moment ago on the merits of a Brexit deal that secures our economic future.

The Government will be publishing its air quality plan to tackle nitrogen dioxide emissions by the end of July. We also intend to publish our emissions reduction plan - setting out how we will reduce carbon emissions through the 2020s – once Parliament returns after the summer recess.