Gordon Brown has come back with some more answers to Mumsnetters' questions!

[JustineMumsnet]

This just in from PM, Gordon Brown :

Mumsnetters - I'm really grateful to you for taking the time to talk to me on Friday. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to answer all your questions but I enjoyed reading the whole thread over the weekend. Justine and Carrie have picked out some questions that were missed and I've provided answers on all of them below.

I also wanted to reassure people on swine flu as I know that's been of big concern elsewhere on the site, so there's some information on that too. If I've missed anything that's still a burning question please do write to me at Downing Street - we will always do our best to answer you directly or ensure you get the most up to date information from the relevant government department.

I hope to come back soon. Maybe we can do the next one as a video-link?

Gordon

FlamingoBingo, you asked about home education

Our priority is always what's best for children.

We absolutely support a parent's right to choose to home educate their children and of course the vast majority who do so do a great job. In fact, part of the Badman Report sets out ways in which we could help home educators. It identified where Government could do more for parents with children with special educational needs and for those who want more access to things like exams and further education.

We do know, however, that there are a very small number of cases where local authorities have concerns around home educated children. So it is right that in a proportionate way we ensure that we can respond when this is the case. Overall, we believe that the Badman report is fair and balanced and should be seen as a positive thing for home educated children, ensuring they are getting the education they are entitled to and that they are safe and well.

Hatchypom you asked about the cost of cochlear implant upgrages for your daughter

It's difficult for me to answer this one as I don't know the details of your particular case. What I can say is that cochlear implants would usually be free on the NHS. If you send me your details, I can ask the Department of Health to look in to this for you. A number of posters have asked if I can go into more detail on their specific questions or if I can cover off the ones I missed. Anybody can write to me at any time at 10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA and we will always try to get you the most up to date information from the relevant department.

Paranoid2 - on premature children and the school starting date

Up the age of 5, it's up to parents to decide when their child should start school. Some parents want their child to start earlier than 5, so we're looking at whether all authorities should make places available from the September after a child turns 4.

On the other hand, some parents like yourself, may feel they want their child to start later than this. Currently, no child has to start until they are 5 years old and schools must hold a place for them.

You're right however, once a child turns 5, they do have to attend school. I'm sorry you feel this puts your child at a disadvantage. However we think that leaving it till later would mean some children would start long behind others, so we think we have the balance right.

Buca - on the children of asylum seekers

Buca - you are absolutely right that we always need to think about the impact of policies on children, so I can assure you that we aren't cutting the amount of money given to lone parent asylum seekers. All those waiting for a decision on their case are provided with housing, a family allowance, healthcare and their children go to local schools - and the amount of money we are providing for asylum seeking families went up by 5.2% this year.

The majority of asylum seekers are receiving more support and we have made the system fairer by standardising the rate for all new asylum claims for single adults. So there has been a change - but we have rightly focussed throughout on protecting the most vulnerable and making sure that kids have all the help they need.

StewieGriffinsMom - you asked about Trident

We all want a world free of nuclear weapons and I've always said we should have the minimum deterrent necessary. Since 1997, Britain has cut the number of nuclear warheads by 50% and I recently announced that I'm prepared to look at reducing our nuclear weapon submarines from four to three.

Our policy on Trident is in line with all our international agreements on non-proliferation, and I'm determined that the world must go further. So just a few weeks ago I went to the UN Security Council and put forward a global deal where countries that already have nuclear weapons offer civil nuclear power to those countries prepared to give up their plans to obtain nuclear weapons. In return, countries like ours who already have nuclear weapons will play our part by reducing the global total.
There is more detail about the deal here, and I'm proud that Britain played such a leading role in a campaign that will make all of our children safer.

Policywonk - on incapacity benefit

The idea behind the new assessment is to look at what people can do, rather than what they can't and to make sure those who face barriers in getting back in employment have the help they need to do so.

Of course, we understand that there'll always be some people who can't work due to their disability and we'll continue to make sure these people receive the support they need.

As far as the assessments themselves are concerned, they are carried out by fully trained, experienced doctors and nurses who undergo rigorous training on how they do this and show they are capable of carrying out the assessments properly.

What's more, all the work carried out by these healthcare professionals is subject to a yearly audit within Atos and this audit is in turn checked by senior medical professionals from Atos and by Government doctors.

Thanks for what you said about DFID and our successes on development. It is one of the things I'm proudest about our record in government, but actually the sustained applause should go to the public - it's the campaigning of people all over the country that has made our successes possible, so thanks to you for your commitment.

To everyone asking about swine flu
There has been some confusion about which vaccines are safe for mums-to-be, and I know there have been some reports which suggest Pandemrix is not recommended by the World Health Organisation. So let me reassure you that position is now out of date, it goes back to the summer before the vaccine was licensed. The World Health Organisation supports the use of vaccines as recommended by the respective regulatory authorities.

Now the European Medicines Agency and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation have recommended that the GSK vaccine is given as one dose that gives instant protection from swine flu. People who have the other vaccine which requires two doses have to wait three weeks between them and they are not protected until the second - we'd rather people were protected as quickly as possible. For more information you can go to www.nhs.uk.

For latest news and information from Downing Street visit the Number 10 website

Hi,

I'm from an organisation called Refugee Action and we're co-ordinating a campaign to stop cuts to asylum support, especially for lone parents.

I just want to thank Justine and Carrie for supporting the campaign and also for putting the question on asylum cuts to Gordon Brown again.

I have to say I was amazed that he said he wasn't cutting support to lone parent asylum seekers! In fact their support has just been frozen at last year's levels, and because (as I'm sure we're all aware) there has been quite a lot of inflation in the last year (5.2%) it means their income has actually gone down by £2.19 a week.

Now this may not seem like a lot to some of us but when you're already on less than income support it can mean the difference between having enough food to last the week and going hungry.

When Gordon says that asylum seeking families have had a 5.4% increase in money, I think first of all he's only talking about families with both parents, not single-parent families, and the increase he talks about is only an inflationary increase not an actual one, so he's spinning a bit here.

When you also take into account that asylum seekers don't get child benefit, or fruit, veg and milk vouchers (like people on income support), and aren't allowed to work to support themselves, it does amount to a group of people being forced to live in poverty.

There's a really good account of a week spent with a single mum asylum seeker in last weeks Guardian:
www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2009/oct/14/asylum-seeker-diary-benefits-cut? commentpage=1

And if you want to find out more about the campaign take a look at our website: www.refugee-action.org.uk or follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/RefugeeAction

Thanks,
Sara Ayech

RefugeeAction where have you been? Inflation is not 5.2%! Many, many people who are working have not had any payrises this year (myself included) despite being good at our jobs and appraised to be.

It's even worse for lots of self-employed people.

I suggest you get your facts straight because it devalues any valid point you might be trying to make.

ParanoiaBigPumkinDestroyer, just wondering what your question re grammar school 11+ tutoring was please as I can't find it. Thank you!

it is mortifying the amount of money that refugees get from us. and the immigration officials are knuckle-dragging racists from what i understand from a friend who works in this area. the stories would turn your hair white.

My biccies are here! Thank you MNHQ!

JustAnotherManicMummy - I don't work in this area and I'm not an expert but afaik, it depends how you calculate inflation. It's true that richer households have experienced some deflation in the real cost of living since last year, because mortgage costs and car fuel is down.

However food costs are up 18% according to this table so poorer households, who spend a higher proportion of their budget on food, have suffered sharp increases in costs.

Refugees are unlikely to have a mortgage or a car so their budget will be mostly food and basic living costs - I can quite believe they've suffered a 5.2% increase, probably more.

But presumably British single parent families on benefits are getting the 5.2% increase, JAMM? therefore it's been acknowledged by govt as necessary to maintain the same standard of living?

I can't agree with you that 'it's even worse for lots of self-employed people'.

I think it's true that there is unacknowledged hardship for s/e families, but this goes well beyond that both in its depth and spread.

Blimey Madame, they must have couriered the biscuits - how vabulous!

'twas the postie who got me out of the bath in an "ooh missus, delivery for you!" kind of way...

I am considering 'forcefeeding' (like I would need to) them to ds and taking a photo, much like poor little Cordelia Selwyn Gummer all those years ago...

Come and join me on my Anti-Fascist thread...

Hi again,

thanks for the responses. Justanothermanicmum - theyoungvisitor is right, food and other basic goods have been subject to a lot of inflation this year. 5.2% is from the consumer price index - which is commonly used to calculate inflation.

Usually asylum support and income support both rise with the CPI but this year only income support has risen, so this seems discriminatory.

It's even worse for single people who aren't parents - their support has actually gone down from £42 to £35 a week - 45% less than income support for a single person.

I know it's hard for a lot of people at the moment but the government are targetting asylum seekers for cuts first because they think they can get away with it and no one will kick up a fuss.

Sara

theyoungvisitor and onebatmother I looked at the retail price index here you'll see that the cost of living has gone down since a year ago (tyv your table has information from February so is not the most up to date info available)

Very, very few working people would get a pay rise anywhere near to 5.2%. Lots of people are getting 0% pay rises or having their hours/wages cut. These people don't get to maintain the same standard of living. The most up to date information I can find on the current rate of inflation is just below 2% here published by the Bank of England (CPI is Consumer Prices Index).

We often tole we are heading into a recession. That means we all have a reduced standard of living.

If the money assylum seekers gets is not enough to live on that is a different argument. My point was that her information was not correct.

RefugeeAction I am a supporter of your charity. I think the work you do with assylum seekers in detention centres and in the community is admirable.

However, I think it's important to appreciate the situation everyone is in and the "there getting it so we should too" argument doesn't work when the people paying into the system aren't getting the rises to match the increase.

I absolutely agree that in Britain today there should be no-one living in poverty and that includes assylum seekers. I lived in Folkestone for many years and saw some horrific prejudice against these people. I also saw the horrific physical injuries some of the assylum seekers had (never mind the mental).

If people don't have enough to live on that is all the argument needed.

there? their

Is there a difference between CPI and RPI?

Yes. Can't pretend I understand it without looking it up but CPI seems to be higher.

I think one removes mortgages etc from the calculation...

Here

If what Wilf says is right then RPI wd be a more relevant measure, wouldn't it?

RPI CPI, sorry, not had much sleep...

Sorry here

"CPI figure focusses on a narrower basket of goods, many[sic] manufactured and excluding items such as rent and council tax"

It also says on that link that CPI is lower, but that was in 2007. It seems to have switched looking at the above links.

Thanks for the support ManicMumm - think that's right about the CPI - it doesn't include mortagages, rent - it's the sort of things you would buy on a day to day basis.

That's the reason it's used for benefits calculations. Because people on income support don't pay rent out of their income support (they get housing benefit separately), and asylum seekers are housed in temporary accommodation by the Home Office. So it's more accurate not to take rent and mortgage rates into account.

But your original point is right - it wasn't enough to live on in the first place, so reducing it further just pushes people into even more poverty.

Sara

Well am well pleased to see GB responded to my question. However not so pleased that he didnt answer it at all and his reply was contained in my question

My question
I would like to know your opinion on the current situation where premature children are discriminated against and are forced to start school earlier that children born at term, in some cases children are in theory still 3 years of age. Ed Balls failed to address this question at all when he came to Mumsnet.I am aware that children can defer entry until the following year but that is even more damaging for the child as in most cases they will be forced to join the class that they would have joined if they had started a year earlier.
When is the government going to give parents of children who are born prematurely the option of deciding whats in the best interest of their children, some of whom will have encountered many hurdles before they even start school.

GB's response
Up the age of 5, it's up to parents to decide when their child should start school. Some parents want their child to start earlier than 5, so we're looking at whether all authorities should make places available from the September after a child turns 4.

On the other hand, some parents like yourself, may feel they want their child to start later than this. Currently, no child has to start until they are 5 years old and schools must hold a place for them.

You're right however, once a child turns 5, they do have to attend school. I'm sorry you feel this puts your child at a disadvantage. However we think that leaving it till later would mean some children would start long behind

Now as I said in my post I know entry can be deferred so there was no point in telling me that and where did I ever say that i wanted my my DS to start school after 5. I only wanted the option to defer with my child allowed to go into reception when 5 (although still really 4)

i just Do Not Get why you guys just can't copy the scottish system.

Wilbur, I know the Berlusconi question sounded like a joke. But I wasn't joking that much. The situation is quite ridicolous, if not a bit scary here. It'd be nice to know that the state of Italy's democracy is being monitored by (more serious) leaders of other European countries.
It's a shame it hasn't been answered, really.